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THE INDEPENDENT GUIDE TO IBM PERSONAL COMPUTERS 


Volume 4 Number 12 
$2.95 


36 Business 
Graphics Packages 


Programming 
Watching for 
Disk Errors 


AT Diplomacy 
Recognizing 
Foreign 
Hard Disks 





Introducing 
the new 
standard 
in tape 
backup 
systems. 








The floppy disk 
that makes 
Commodore 
more commanding, 
Apples crisper 
and gives IBM PC 
a high‘^»' 


Smart move, buying a computer. 
To be sure your computer doesn’t under- 
achieve, put it on the Gold Standard. 


Maxell. An industry leader in error-free 
performance. There’s a Maxell Gold 


Standard floppy disk for virtually every 
computer made. Each comes backed by 
a lifetime warranty. Maxell. To keep your 
computing at the top of the class. 


maxell 


iT’swoKTiin: 



Maxell Corporation of America. 60 Oxford Drive. Moonachie, N.J. 07074 


aRCLE 230 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



I 



Introducing Ability: 

The business software that 

WORKS WITH YOU. NOT AGAINST YOU. 


SOFTWARE SHOULDN’T MAKE YOU FEEL FOOLISH. 



Choosing business software 
can really be a circus. Sometimes 
all the jokes seem to be at your 
own expense. 

There’s no need to clown 
around any more with hard to 
learn programs. Now you have the 
ABILITY'". 

It’s the new business software 
for people who don’t want to 
marry a computer simply in order 
to get great results. 

ABlLITY-spreadsheet, 
database, word processing, tele- 
communication, graphs, and 
“Presentation!”, an exclusive new 
feature to present ideas with 
new impact 

It’s (wwerful and sophisticated. 
Sophisticated enough to be easy. 

A good example of what easy 
means is the exclusive ABILITY 
library. This unique product 
feature organizes your work to 
help you achieve what you want 

Not the typical, aimless files in 
which you hunt for the one you 
need. Instead, an easy to use 
arrangement-neatly grouped by 
the ty^ of work you’re doing 

Alphabetical. Thily easy. 


With some business software, 
even adding a simple file is a hassle. 
A deletion can require awkward 
commands and irritating changes. 

Not with ABILITY. 

You want to make a change? 
No problem. You don’t have to 
worry about remembering juicy 
phra^ like “jctx”, “.ovl”, or 
other popular favorites, like “.exe” 
and “.has”. 

Not when you have the 
ABILITY. We took the time and 
effort to shield you from that kind 
of nonsense. 

To us that’s the whole point 
Software shouldn’t make you 
struggle. 

You can letun ABILITY in less 
than a day. It will make your job 
easier, faster and even more fun. 

To learn more about ABILITY, 
please check with your local 
IBM- authorized dealer, or write 
us at Xanaro Technologies, Inc., 
3100 Mill Street, Suite W, Reno, 
Nevada 89502. 

(In Canada write to Xanaro at 
321 Bloor Street East, Suite 815, 
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1G9). 

CIRCLE 474 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



ABiUTY 

SYMPHONY 

FRAMEMORK 

DataBase 

Limited by 
Disk Size 
Only 

Limited 

by 

RAM 

Limited 

by 

RAM 

Memory 
required 
to load 
full product 

256KRAM 

320KRAM 

384KRAM 

"Snapshor 

screens to 

custom-make 

separate 

presentation 

disk 

Yes 

No 

No 

Suggested 
retail price 

$495 

$695 

$695 





V. 


Now YOU HAVE THE ABILITY. 


9IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 


ABILirY' is a trademark of Xanaro Technologies Inc. C' 1985 Xanaro Technologies Inc. 





DATABASE 


MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ^ 
lnclude$ Accounting. Payroll, 

Inventory & A/R Applications 
PROGRAMMABLE RELATIONAL 

FULL VERSION NOTAOEMO 


• Tti TMtW 

> C/«MM SuWllM 
•Sonon3F«(M 

• Raulcui*!* F<tM 


• 3 F.l« 

• GlcM> 

• K»y (li 


CuWomiuM ScTMnt 
ASCII Oulpvl 

W'il««n m Sim lor «iv moOiltcaDOO 

• Form Gooorolor 

• Subncsroi 

• Numoric Rin^M 

• SuOIOlail 
Ovor 15.000 Linn el Sowroi CoM Grvon 

Ooon Simuitanoouiiy • II Wcy* to ColeulMo Fioldi 

Flow CAaneai * Trinilir 0||| MiMon liWi 

'■nei to AumtMrl • A unr iwooerlid oloeiim 

vie Irinilon omeiort liloi • Muet> More 
0 on coAdiiiono lor MCti iitW 

Micreeompuling 

Howiton Aroi LmquO oI ^ Uteri A 


Frtb Siecnrntn ir 


‘Spreadsheet 

PROGRAMMABLE FULL VERSION NOT A DEMO 

• 21 wiyl 10 CtKultlt numetrt or •rite rom own 
tuOreulinat 

• Wrilltn in Mtie lor OMy meOil<tl<On 

• Comoiitd Vtnwn PiqviMO [192K) 

• Soi^W Cnocnoeok A incornt Tai Aeplicaooni 

• NumMrt A Tail mty M ol«td onywiiara on IM 


« Aulomtiic ntrilcuiwion 


• Full Cufior Cerilroi 

EXPERT SYSTEM 

INFERENCE ENGINE 

PROGRAMMABLE FULL VERSION NOT A DEMO 

lO" mr e<rm Eyptrl Sylltmi 


• Oeltrrmnw MuHipIo Selul«rit 

* Aw>^ ProOtAilily wilti RuMi 

• inittlistni Stfcn Ptiltrn witn U»>ull OvtrriM 

• Logic Path inrougO SubcMogorm il>*playM 

• Otiteu Comradiciory EvWtnct 

• EipltAWion 0 * Riwoniog 

• Accept* unknown Input 

• Source Cooe A Compued Vertien (IWK) 

• Wriiien in Bmic (or ee*y mootiicaiion* 

• Semple AppiieetKin 

• No i^eiiiae on Appiiceiioni 

SUPERIOR IN SEVERAL AREAS 

You get tne lotrrce cooe m B«ic We wrote me progrem m Beeic 
meet ueer*. lika you. etrieOy knew (lew to program m Seeic 
iFpiy weeteyowiimeieerningan iniener onepeeaege langutge like 
Fred'* or Macro*"’ Witn the nwro* code you can moOily tne eyaiem 
10 do wtytning met can bo don* m Baeic 
You do not have to be a eottwar* engineer to um m* *v*t*m The 
enure tyeiem i« menu driven You do not neve to leern nundred* of 
command* You do not have lo keep reading the manual tinea ell the 
eptiene are dieplayed on the ecreen 
It you wrii* any appiicaiion programa in beoK you can reduce your 
programming time by 50 % or mere You prebebi y weela 50 % to t 0 % at 
yowr lime coding the inputting ot data, iloraga at the data m lilaa. 
rairievBt oi data, ccrraction ot data, icraan datign and oihar raoemout 
taakt By utmg m* daiaoea* or *praad*naat to handle your repptinou* 
taeki you will coduCO yOur programming lim* by 50 % or more There 
are no royaitioa on wpiwaiiona 

• lor IBM PC. XT or AT wrth 12 BK 

• PC Jr with I 2 BK A Ceriridgo Sa*« 

• Compaiibio* wiih i« 2 K A Mieroaoti Baaie 
Loarn advenead Saire [wogiamming lacnn.out* B> etamimng me 
tourcecode remark ttalemeniy and oocumonlal-on you can loam new 
we wreie ineie cempiei (ytienn Vou can ute meea advancad 
MiOroutmat and IKhniov** m yOur 


NO STRINGS ATTACHED 


developed me programa i.-t houae lor our own me We are 
me programt neeaute we do net went le oe m me loiiware 
bmmeu We are giving me program* aw*y a* a puOi< •* 
me good pubKriy The 120 tee cover* me coal ot me « dn 
adverlivng to wa are riot wemg any money on Ihi* oltar 


PC-SIG DISKS 214,215,267, A 268 


Copy me lytiem liom lomeone who already haa ona OR 

• For me laieei meei poweriui *dii>on tend $20 to cover me co*it 
o> * DSOOiPtka tti dm* mail reuaatMa diak mwier copying a 

V AvaiiaM on B SSOOdiak* SiPailr# 

• Outtida USA add S3 MD raaidanit add 5*> lai 

• Allow 2 to 3 wetka •« delivery 


Pteaaaaendtne Oaiebaae o' Sieei 
Ckperi Sydem el Steel 10 
Name 


So«e*oina*i ot Sicei A ik 


IW)RE FREE SOFTWARE ON PAGE 361 \ 




The Independent Guide to 
IBM Personal Computers 


PUBUSHER. 


Jeff Weiner 


EDTTOR. 


Bill Machronc 


EXECUTIVE EOrrORS 
MANAGING EDITOR .. 
TECHNICAL EDITOR .. 


.Mike Edelhan. Paul Somcison 
-Barry Owen 
.Cniif; L. Suit 


ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITORS 
ASSOCIATE EDITORS 

SENIOR EDITOR . PC NEWS 

SENIOR COPY EOTTORS 

PRODUCT TESTING SUPERVISOR . 

PRODUCTION EDITOR 

ASSISTANT EDITORS 


COORDINATING EDITOR .. 
EIMTORIAL ASSISTANTS .. 

CMTICE MANAGER 

PROOFREADERS 

RECEPTIONIST 

CONTOIBUTING EDITORS . 


ASSISTANT u> the PUBUSHER 


..Luisa Simone. Gus Vemiitb' 

.. Jennifer dc Jong. UsaKIcimin. Barbara Krasnoff. 

Stephanie Stalling!- 
..Don Kennedy 
. .Jean Aielsek . Janet Lewis 
..Michael O'Cone 
..Paul Ross 

. Charles Bennani, Gerald Carney. Vkioria Danofl. Virginia Dudek. 
Michael Espindle. Cheryl GokttKtg. James Langdell. Jane Minuer. 
David Obeegdn. AnnOvtxPyw. Fredrk Paul 
..Greg Pasinck 

..David Baker. Christina Okaiig. Paul M. SuTTord 
..IrisKiuncI 

..M. Sicphuue Ricks, Al Weisel 
..KarenD. Wilson 

..Richard AaiDiis. Frank J. Dcrfkr. Jr . John Didutisun. 

Glenn Hart. Steve Hol/ner. Stephen Manes. Peter Nannt, Martin Poncr. 
Winn L.Rosch. Craig Stinson. Jared Taylor. Robin Webster 
..SuzanneN. Silver 


DESIGN DIRECTOR. 


.Peter J. Blank 


ART DIRECTORS 

ART EDITOR 

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR..,. 
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR .... 
MECHANICAL ARTISTS. 
PRODUCTION ARTIST . , . 
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 


Mary Zisfc. Gcnml Kunkel 
.MariarMNicieia 
Mari Jensen 
IxMise White 

Monique Cubicciotti. lUskaGoodhcan. San Whilford 
Susan Ahlnun 
U&B Barruha 


PUBUC RELATIONS MANAGER 


.Jessica Kersey 


CIRCTJLA'nON MANAGER Lor A. Hellevig 

CIRCULiTtON ASSISTANTS Mickey Krueger, Roben Smiihl 


ADVERTISING OFFICE 

ADVERTISING C(X)RDINAT(»S 


.Ziff-Davis Publishing Conqtany.One Pari Avenue. 
New York. NY 10016. (2l2i 503-5100 
.Robert Simpson. Jeanne Woodlock 



COMPUTER PUBLICATIONS DIVISION 







VICE PRESIDENT. LICENSING A SPECIAL PROJECTS 

VICE PRESIDENT. CREATIVE SERVICES 

VICE PRESIDENT. CIRCULATKW 

VICE PRESIDENT. CIRCULATKMJ SERVICES 

Jerry Scluieider 

Herbert Stem 

Alicia Marie Ivans 

James Ramaley 

DERECTOR. MARKETING SERVICES 

Ann Adelman 

EDITORIAL EMRECTOR 



ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING 


Presfakai Richard P. Friesc Senior Vice PrcakleBl PhilLpT. HefTctman Senior Vice PrestdenI Philip Sine Vic* PresUenlaRory Pahsi. 
William Phillips Trcaaarcr Selwyn Taubman Secretary Benram Abrams 


nr 7VAidtrv«drMCM<lrw/aWFivi<MarC'«r^>rv>l!>5N<#074S.UI»iw*uMishedtk'«<*Uyl<»t>* V^5><>a*yewl2aMuni.Sel Vihviwoycas.widSai V7 tor dm yeas Addkioe- 
iT pnMkl* SM.40 lur Cmd* «ad li aka faei^ criiiai iii ii. FC Camearaw Carp, . * udwtluiy of Zill-Ot«s> PublMliae Co .Oe* Pat Ave., New Yak. NY lOOte Sevoid-Cliu paaife 
aeidaNrw Yak, NY lOOIAatdaalddnal malaiadfficn POnMASTUl. Adibcudun|ekk>K'. TV/adrpwwIriUCwdr w/aMFvnoM/C<M>diii«rri. PO Boi MS. Bcaldn.CT] 
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aaat.P.O Bo>2«4S.B«idda.COI0)22.(303l447.9S}0 PCbibm' . _ 

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towagaeBede i na k ndPCC ii mia eir ai na Cap FC. PC.Ttielak*ii aka Guide mUIMftntadCaetkdeis. K'Mat. K' Lek, FC-T* iiii«iewiei«t. Pinycet rC.PCTmw, FC BkieBaak. 
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idaiMedBSOIl'RCfcBMMS. CaaguSaw 11226.712. aMG Mat IS7-«ni PCti*aertfvea*adn'S*rvk*:<2l2>MMliMI 




4 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 




“What do we mean by honest accounting software?” 


W e mean software that does what it says it will 
do; it works in the real world. 

What does RealWorld” accounting software do? 

Our fully integrated accounting line offers 
General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, 
Accounts Payable, Order Entry, Inventory Control 
and Sales Analysis as honest solutions to your 
accounting problems. Our software runs on most 
popular micro-computers. 

RealWorld software has been designed to suit 
your business accounting needs. Our software is 
built on the actual live feedback collected from our 
dealers and users over the last ten years. 

An installed base of over 80,000 satisfied users 
has kept us in touch with the true needs of business 
accounting in the real world. An independent 
survey of computer retailers rated us #1 in techni- 
cal pterformance, documentation, user friendli- 
ness, features and adaptability. 

See for yourself what RealWorld can do 

Seeing is believing — go to your local computer 
dealer and get a live demonstration of our soft- 
ware. You can enter real data about your real life 
accounting problems and see the results for your- 
self. 


Insist on the accounting software that does what 
it says it will do. RealWorld is available at most 
major computer stores, or call us direct for the 
number of the dealer nearest you. Or send us the 
coupon below and we will mail the information to 
you without delay. 



RealWoiia CoqxxaUon 
Dov^rRosd 
Chich09t0r. N.H. 03263 

1 - 603 - 225-9565 

RnlWorHl is a trademari of RealWorld Corporation 

I'd like more information about (he Accounting Software that does 
what it says it will do and the name, address arxl phone i of the 
computer store nearest me that has RraiWorld Accounting Software. 

Name 

Company 

Addn^ 

City State 

Zip Code Phone # 

Hardware* 

Type of Business 


CIRCLE 169 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1 2 • JUNE 1 1 , 1985 



The independent Guide to 
IBM Personal Computers 


rCOV^STORIES 



fpRO COLU^S/DEPARTMENTS 


WIIAT SINSlDi: IS 

A look at the making of PC Magazine. 

PC NE W S 33 

Fifteen pages of up-to-the-minute 
reports, interviews, and minireviews. 

FROM THE EDITOR’S SCREEN 

PCjr Revisited 81 

Bill Machrone / The Junior may be 
down, but it’s not out. 

LETTERS TO PC OT 


PROGRAMMING 
Watching for Disk 
Errors 263 

Steve Holzner / DOS 

can be fallible when it 
comes to spotting small-scale disk 
errors. Stay alert for the mistakes 
missed by DOS with the help of 
DSKWATCH.COM. 


♦ 

k' 

/> 



I SER- 1 ()-USER 279 

Paul Somerson / PC owners share their 
tips and short programs. 


THE NORTON CHRONICLES 

Gang of Fourteen: 

Disk Types for the AT 103 

Peter Norton / Norton looks at AT add- 
on hard disks. 


PC TUTOR 285 

MarkZachmann / PC Magazine 
answers both technical and nontechnical 
questions from our readers about the 
world of personal computing. 


6 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS: 

Giving Power to Presentations . HO 

In business, seeing is believing. As a 
result, graphics presentation software is 
rapidly moving up on the PC best-seller 
list. Inevitably, an overwhelming number 
and variety of graphics products have 
recently become available. 

PC Magazine has assembled a panel of 
expert reviewers to aid you in selecting the 
pr^uct that best suits your particular 
needs. We’ve looked over more than 30 of 
the most interesting business-oriented 
packages available and have included an 
expanded fact file with each review for 
quick, easy reference. In addition, since 
graphics packages vary greatly in how 
they work and in how well they produce 
the desired graphics images, we'll guide 
you in their operation and steer you around 
their idiosyncracies. We’ll even provide a 
sample of each program’s output. 

'The graphics programs included in this 


EDUCA’nON 
Studying SAT 
Prograrns 289 

Mark Malamudl 
Choosing the right SAT 
preparation package can be almost as 
tough as taking the test itself. Here are a 
few clues to help parents and students 
make the choice that is best for them. 

FINANCE 
Check Out Hot 
Tips with 

Dow .Tones 29S 

Thomas Meyers / The 
Dow Jones News/Retrieval service 
quickly puts valuable market 
information into the hands of investors at 
a relatively low cost. 

PC MAGAZINE • JUNE It, 1985 









package are listed below in the order in which they’re reviewed. 

Fast Graphs 

Draw-It 

dGRAPHIH 

DR Graph 

Micrograph by2Ts 

Condor Graf 

Irffographics CHOICE 

ARTPAK Presentation System 

PC Illustrator 

Grtffbx 

EnerGraphics 

ChartStar 

Microsoft Chart 

Executive Picture Show 

PC Presents! 

Business Graplucs System 

Executive Presentation Kit 

PYXEL Visuals 

BPS Business Graphics 

btGRAF 

GrcffTalk 

Hypergraphics 

Boardroom Graphics 

TelePaint 

PC-Draw 

GSS-Plottalk 

CHART-MASTER 

Plotraxl 

Zebra Business Graphics 

PC-Graph 

Giraph Business Graphics 

PFS: GRAPH 

VCN ExecuVision 

GRAFIT 

Grcffilopper 

Graphwriter 


GRAPHICS: A Two-Edged Sword 239 

Kathryn Alesandrini / Graphics can help you make an impact 
by shrinking mounds of data into comprehensible charts. Some 
of the graphics software packages are so powerful and produce 
such professional results that you’d think you have an in-house 
art department producing them. But be careful: Not every 
picture is worth a thousand words. Poorly thought-out images 
can also weaken your presentation and lessen your credibility. 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 

Afl of January, 1085 


Cayboard 



BUSINESS 
Safekeeping Your 
Software 299 

Bruce Cast / Threats to 
your magnetic media 
abound, and even the office safe may not 
live up to its name. Here ate some ways 
to prevent possible disk damage 
resulting from fire or humidity. 



CLUB NEWS 

Across the Boards 311 

David Hoffman / Listings of 75 IBM PC 
bulletin board systems. 

NEW ON THE MARKET 315 

David Obregdn / The latest in hardware, 
software, accessories, publications, and 
services for your PC. 


\^. K 1 


TELECOMMUNI- 

1 


CATIONS 



Picking the Proper 

1 


Protocol 355 



M. David Stone! 


Xmodem is the de facto king of error- 
checking communications protocols. As 
is often the case, however, "standard” 
does not necessarily mean ‘ ’best. ’ ’ 


LAW 

One-Stop 

Shopping 305 

Norvell E. Brasch! 

Price Waterhouse’s 
Legal Tech Seminars explain the 
complexities of the microcomputer 
market, helping lawyers choose the right 
computer p^ucts for their work. 

PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 


PCBLUEBOOK 331 

PRODUCT INDEX 349 

BOOK REVIEW 

Basic Repairs for Your PC — 

Too Basic? 351 


Wirm L. Rosch / Two new PC repair 
books teach you how to locate problems 
but don’t help you fix them. 



INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 356 

COMING UP 

PC Magazine 361 

PC Tech Journal 363 

PCtMART 364 

Cover Photograph: 

Michel Tcherevkoff 

7 




DATASOUTH 

Wheels Out 
Your New 

CORPORATE 

Image 


Dear Businessperson: 


A good daisywheel printer 
should work like a pin-stripe 
suit for your letterhead . 

That's why you need a new 
DaisyWheel 36 from Datasouth. It is, 
literally, a very impressive machine. 

The DaisyWheel 36 is quick, with a top speed of 36 cps. 
It's more capable than any other daisywheel in its class, 
with superscripts^ subscripts, boldfacing, underlining , 
text reprinting, red & black color printing and proportional 
spacing, among other impressive features. And with its 
Diablo 630 compatibility, your DaisyWheel 36 will get along 
with just about any computer in your office. 

Your secretary will get along with your DaisyWheel 36 
too — thanks to its sheet and tractor feed options, cartridge 
ribbon, and a whole garden of distinctive daisywheel type 
faces, each with its own protective cassette. 

Best of all, the DaisyWheel 36 comes from a company 
with a most impressive name: Datasouth — the name that 
means high performance. 

So wheel over to your Datasouth Dealer and run some of 
your best letterhead through a new DaisyWheel 36, the high 
performance daisywheel from Datasouth. 

By the way, the DaisyWheel 36 lists for just $99b. 

Which is a pretty good price for the 


best image around. 


Eventually yours, 

DaisyWheel 36 




HIGH PERFORMANCE PRINTERS 


CIRCLE 241 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


Datasouth Computer Corporation 
Box 240947 • Charlotte. NC 28224 
704/523*8500 • Telex 6843018 DASOU UW 







Innovative Backup and Hard Disk Drive Systems 
For Your IBM PC, XT and AT 


Backup Opl»on Ratnav* Option 



The Standard of Excellence In Backup Software 

■ Revolutionary Everex Backup systems give you 
the backup/retrieve flexibility you want while 
saving you hours of time. >bu can backup your 
hard disk drive in minutes with a fast "mirror 
imager then retrieve this information either file- 
by-file or the entire hard disk image. 

■ High speed backup/retrieve-up to SMB 
per minute. 

■ Menu Driven software includes the largest 
selection of file selectable options— choose 
from name, date, time Interval, global, qualifier 
and more. 

■ Advanced Installation program automatically 
configures the optimal backup/retrieve speed 
with your hard disk drive. 

The Leader in External Expansion Systems 

■ All external systems are available with any com- 
bination of Everex Backup and Hard Disk 
Drive systems. 

■ Slimline systems include one short and three 
long expansion slots for adding more acces- 
sory boards. 

• Half-Size system includes four long expan- 
sion slots. 


• Full-Size system (looks like your PC) includes 
eight long expansion slots. 

■ External systems include one high quality, 
round shielded cable. 

The Total Solution For Backup That Plugs Right 
Into Your Computer 

• A wide selection of backup solutions with the 
price and performance to meet your needs: 

• The EXCEL 4500, 45 and 60 MB high per- 
formance U -inch Streaming Tape systems, 
the EXCEL 200, 20 MB Cassette system 
and the EXCEL 10 MB Roppy Tape system. 

■ Space-saving half height units with single 
board controller. 

• Combine with Everex hard disk drives for 
lower cost and higher performance. 

■ Unique "piggyback" power supplies ensure 
dependable operation and save space. 

Visit your local Everex dealer today and ask 
to see Everex products In action, ^r the name 
of your nearest Everex dealer, please call 
(415) 498-1111. 

Imaglr>e««ir>g UlUmo. Australia TUC: 74349 MAQIN AA 

Microage Distribution Ltd. London. England TLX: 881 3241 WONGS G 

FbaderParis. Franca TLX: 4413241 FEEDER 

Auiomatad Offica Systams Hout Bay. South Africa 2721 -70-8091 

Survex. 1027 Spaars Road. OakviNa. Ontario Canada L6L-2XS. 416-842-6093 

Prida Computars. 102-8167 Main Straat. Vancouver, 

British Columbia. V5X 3L2. 604-321 -5690 

IBM. PC. XT and AT ara ragistarad tradamarfca of Intarnationat Businass 
Machines Corporation. 

EXCEL Is a tradamark of Everex Systems Inc. 



EVER for EXca//ance 


Address: 47777 Warm Springs 8lvd„ Fremont CA 94539 (415) 498-1111, 


Dealer Hotline (800) 821-0806 * In CA (800) 821-0807 


CIRCLE 163 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



3 simple vi^ to wipe 
out your entire database: 



1 simple way to preserve it. 


Those who fail to back up their hard 
disk data live on the edge of tearful 
disaster On the other hand, if you’re 
still using floppies to avoid such 
nightmares, you're spending 
more time backing up than 
moving forward. 

So, what to do? 

The answer comes from 
Kamerman Labs: streaming tape 
backup. 

In just four minutes, you can trans- 
fer 10 megabytes onto a single tape Possibly the 
entire recorded history of your company, pre 
served in less time than it takes to get another 
cup of coffee. 

And you don't have to repeat the whole 
process every time you change or add a file to 
the hard disk. Kamerman Labs' streaming tape 
permits both image and file-by-file backup and 
restoration. 

Worried about the software barrier between 
disk and tapd? Don't be A menu-driven program 
with on-line help lets you call up both tape and 


hard disk directories, so 
you can easily back up, 
restore erase, rename 
and/or print files. 

Also, if you’re forced 
to transfer data to a 
different computer, 
wdve got you cov- 
ered. The streaming 
tape can restore your 
data onto the orig- 
inal or another hard 
disk. 

So do your database and your productivity 
a favor. Get a streaming tape backup from 
Kamerman Labs. And while you’re at it, ask about 
our hard disks, PC-Excelerator and integrated mass 
storage systems. 

Kcimermon 

Labs 




8054 S.W. Nimbus Ave., Beaverton, OR 97005 
{503)626-6877 Ask tor dept. 126 JOIN US AT 

1-800-522-2237 NEW YORK 

Telex 501 886 COLISEUM 

s^uial lUNE 17-19 

0COfll»€K/Spriiig '85 

Mov 6-9. 1985 

Georgio World Congress Center. 

Atlanta. Georgia 






Of course you cant do 
seven things at once, 
but your computer can 



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• Multitasking — runs MS-DOS and 
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Incorporated 

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508 Second Street 
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a TM of Indian Ridse Enterortaei. tne.; Unus 1-2-3 is a renstered TM of Lotus Devetopcnent Cojp.. WordStar ts a reguimd TW of Intematiof^ Corp.; dBASE 111 is 

re^wd TO^ttpial Research. Inc.; is a registered TM of Microsoft Corp. IBM-PC is are^red trademark of International Busmess Machines. Inc 


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AND KNOWLEDGEMAN 


Most people are satisfied doing one 
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Fortunately, he has a very hard- 
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“It’s a terrific all-purpose tool for 
designing easy-to-use programs!’ says 
Bard, who uses KnowledgeMan to 
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And they’re a pleasure to write. 

“KnowledgeMan puts very few 
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A 


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When all else 
fails. 


Most diskettes are pretty good. 

And some of the time that’s good enough. 

But next time you throw away one that won’t 
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been working on for weeks, make a mental note to 
try a box of Dysan diskettes. 

They’re better. 

So much better, in fact, that major computer 
manufacturers put their names on our diskettes 
and sell them as their own. 

Without fear of failure. 

You see, we make our diskettes better with 
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competitors have yet to figure out. 

And we test them. 

Almost to the point of absurdity. 

Dysan diskettes are inspected almost a hundred 
times as they come down the line. They’re tested 
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standards. And each one is certified to be 100 
percent error free. 

Then our corporate quality assurance fanatics 
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the same things. Plus some things only they 
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When we’re done, you get exaaly what you 
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Ws don’t expect you to keep all that in your 
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The Ifldependeni Guide (q 
ISM PerMTuI CompulCfs 


What’s Inside 

Despite an epidemic outbreak of various bizarre cases of spring fever 
among PC’s editorial staff, we still managed to 
give you the big picture on business graphics packages. 



S pring fever is a pernicious and 
dangerous disease, especially if 
you employ many intelligent and 
idiosyncratic individuals. It seems to 
manifest itself in 3-hour lunches, sudden 
outbreaks of lateness, and an uncontrol- 
lable urge to stare out the window mur- 
muring, “It must be beautiful in Maine 
right about now . . . .” 

However, when you're not in Maine, 
but stuck in an office in midtown Man- 
hattan, there isn't an awful lot you can do 
about all that fresh air and sunshine trick- 
ling through the windows. You've got to 
find other outlets for your excess energy . 
And since the crew at PC Magazine, in 
spite of the workload, can always find a 
bit of excess energy to play with, there is 
always something to do. 

For example, assistant editor James 
Langdell accumulates toys, really so- 
phisticated playthings like inflatable 
sharks and battery-powered. Rube Gold- 
berg contraptions that make five small 
plastic penguins slide down a ramp, 
again, and again, and again. 

Technical coordinator Mike O'Cone 
plays darts. Not content with normal out- 
lets like softball teams, O'Cone helped 
organize an unofficial and, to the unini- 
tiated, somewhat mysterious dart team 
called The Perforators. He has yet to tell 
us exactly what the teams are throwing 
darts at — and most are not sure they want 
to know. 

Executive editor Paul Somerson shuts 
off the lights. He prefers using his com- 
puters in a darkened space. While the 
early winter sunsets cast PC's offices in 
fairly perpetual twilight, spring months 


bring spring sunshine, and so he has to 
pull the blinds. PC staffers are used to it; 
but the occasional visitor who enters 
Somerson's office to find him peering in- 
tently into a weird green glow usually 
needs a few moments to recover. 

Other Trivial Pursuits 

As mentioned before in this column, 
the copy edit staff plays computer trivia 
games. Recently galvanized by the re- 
lease of two new versions. IBM's Trivia 
102 and Music JOI, they can be seen 
huddled over a PC in senior copy editor 
Jean Atelsek's office or after hours in 
managing editor Barry Owen's office, 
sometimes joined by assistant editor 
Charlie Bermant, Somerson, or even 
publisher Jeff Weiner. Owen has been 
holding off all comers with geography 
expertise, while assistant editors Gerald 


Carney and Mike Espindle, representing 
copy edit, are trying to regain the crown 
from archrivals Somerson and Bermant. 
representing PC News. 

Associate editors Jennifer de Jong, 
Lisa Kleinman, Barbara Krasnoff, and 
Stephanie Stallings have meetings. Not 
that they don't consult during the rest of 
the year, but warm weather seems to de- 
mand frequent business interaction in 
one of their four offices. (This propensity 
does not always sit well with executive 
editor Mike Edelhart, who sometimes 
suspects that a coup may be in the 
works.) Actually, quite a few vital issues 
must be taken up at this time of the 
year — such as how to get the Plexiglas 
insulation off the windows, or how to 
convince editor Bill Machrone that S- 
hour working days are statistically prov- 
en to increase editorial productivity. 

Of course, they'd have a better chance 
of proving their point if they put their sta- 
tistics through one of the graphics pro- 
grams covered in this issue, A couple of 
months ago, we discovered that business 
graphics software had been accumulat- 
ing for some time. Three important fac- 
tors had come to the staff s attention: ( 1 ) 
the state of the art (so to speak) has be- 
come sophisticated enough to begin ri- 
valing the graphics produced by profes- 
sional graphics companies; (2) enough 
packages are out there to confuse an AT; 
and (3) if we didn't do something about 
the pile, we would need a bulldozer to get 
into the Toy Shop. 

A team of expert free-lance writers 
was immediately called in to sort through 
the packages and separate the business 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II, 1985 


15 


Pttoiognph; Michel Tchercvkoff 




WHAT’S INSIDE 


graphics programs from the 1-2-3 en- 
hancers from the free-form drawing pro- 
grams from the font producers. All this 
activity was overseen by contributing 
editors Glenn Hart and John Dickinson. 


Once the main sort was completed, 
teams of testers spent 2 weeks creating 
pie, bar, and Gantt charts with reckless 
abandon. Somehow, amid plotter prob- 
lems, skirmishes between pro- and anti- 


smokers, and frequent cries of “Don’t 
the people who write these manuals be- 
lieve in indexing?” the reviewing went 
relatively smoothly. 

One notable program ultimately 
chucked from the issue gave free-lance 
writer M. David Stone nightmares. The 
package featured in center screen the im- 
age of a square-jawed, bald-pated man 
who asks (across the bottom of the 
screen), “Can I help you, pal?” You 
then had to touch a mouse-driven cursor 
to the man’s eyebrow, left ear, nose, and 

Business graphics software 
had been accumulating for 
some time, and if we didn't 
do something about the pile, 
we would need a bulldozer 
to get into the Toy Shop. 

so on, to get pull-down menus. The logic 
of such a system was unassailable — if 
you could figure out what that logic was. 

By the end of the second day, PC 
Magazine staffers were regularly drop- 
ping into the Toy Shop to see how far 
Stone had progressed with the program. 
By that time, he had been able to turn the 
bald man a stunning shade of turquoise 
and was actually drawing small squares 
on the screen. But that was as far as he 
got. So it was with a sense of great relief 
that Stone was finally given permission 
to abandon ship; his final word on the 
subject was that the program “is the best 
argument against icons I've ever seen. ’’ 

Several other packages either dropped 
from or joined the party along the way, 
giving nightmares to senior copy editor 
Janet Lewis, who was trying to keep a 
comprehensive list while balancing mar- 
athon meetings with Dickinson about the 
enlarged Fact Files with reviews of the 
36 eventual survivors. 

The final collection covers nearly the 
full range of business graphics programs 
on the market. Almost all of them offer 
preformatted business graphs, and some 
even have stored images such as automo- 
biles, trains, trees and grass, flowers 
... It must be so nice in Maine right 
about now .... ■ 



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CALL TODAY (415)331-9900 


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CIRCLE 470 ON READER SERVICE OiRD 



16 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE it. I98S 






r ib get the world’s most advanced 50 CPS 
daisyvdaeel printer, you’ll have to pay less. 

TheTeleVideo‘750 delivers 50 CPS performance using an 
incredible 40% fewer parts than any comparable printer. So 
it’s no mere coincidence that the 750 sells for up to 40% less. 

With quality so good, you can produce camera ready copy 
directly. 

Cost of ownership gets even better with time. Fewer parts 
equal more reliability: an average of 65,000 pages between 
failures. And with the works in a drawer, repairs— when 
necessary— are quick and easy. 

Fewer parts also equal a low profile, small footprint, and light 
weight. The TeleVideo 750 printer is plug compatible with 
almost every computer system. And TeleVideo provides a 
complete selection of supplies and paper handling accessories. 


You won’t find a printer better suited than the TeleVideo 750 
to an office environment. So if you’re responsible for printer 
purchase decisions, the TeleVideo 750 should make your job 
significantly easier. Now there is a daisywheel printer that 
gives you high performance, low cost and excellent quality. 

For information about TeleVideo Printer dealers in your area 
or a free demonstration, call 800'521'4897 In California 
800-821-3774. 

Regional Sales Offices: Schaumberg, IL (312) 397-5400, Norcross, GA 
(404)447-1231, Waltham,MA(617)890-3282,Syosset,NY(516)496-4777, 
lrving,TX (214) 258-6776, Irvine, CA (714) 476-0244, San Jose, CA 
(408)971-0255. 



CIRCLE 231 ON Kf ADI R SI RVICI CARD 


Copyrighted maierial 






Engineering 

Excellence 



^TEr OpTliE: Abt In 
Data Communications 

SoPTWACEi. 


CROSSTALK IS A TRADEMARK OF 
MICROSTUF. INC.. ATLANTA. GEORGIA 


CIRC I.L 12t> ON Kl ADI K SI RVICI C ARD 


CROSSTALK IS AVAILABLE FOR 
MOST SMALL BUSINESS 
COMPUTERS 










Introducing the new and improved 
IBMPC.H995 






siit.y 


Actually, it’s not a new 
PC 

It’s GEM desktop;" 

The $49.95 software 
breakthrough that makes 
your old IBM PC so aston- 
ishingly easy to use that it 
seems like a new one. 

So long PC DOS, 
hello gem;" 

gem desktop software 
looks like an ordinary floppy for 
your PC. But slide it into your 
IBM’s disk drive, and the change begins. 

From this moment on, you can run 
most of the important PC programs— 
but instead of typing cryptic commands 
to get into your program menu, you 
simply point and click your mouse* or 
use your cursor keys to open a window. 
It’s like a breath of fresh air compared 
to the complex PC DOS operating sys- 
tem you’ve been using. 

Point and click vs. stroke, stroke, 
stroke. 

Next, instead of typing and retyping 
long file names, you simply point and 
click again at the appropriate symbols. 
And voila! Your file appears on screen. 
But it’s not quite the same screen 
you’ve been used to. 


Simple menu headers at the top to 
guide you effortlessly from one func- 
tion to the next. So instead of making 
more complex keystrokes that can 
easily be mistyped, your IBM PC is 
easier and faster to use than ever 
before. There is also a clock and a 
calculator both built right in. 

Indispensable. And only $49.95. 

Your GEM Desktop includes all 
operating system interface software 
and comes with amazingly simple 
instructions. In fact, GEM DESKTOP 
software makes it possible, for the first 
time, for anyone to learn to use an 
IBM PC (Who knows, maybe even 
the most dedicated computerphobes in 
your company will warm up to the PQ 
after this.) 

And you can just as easily justify 
the cost— only $49.95 for complete 
operating package. Which makes it 
affordable enough to have several. 

If you can use a phone, you can 
have GEM DESKTOP. 

Right Now. 

To order GEM DESKTOP, just call 
toll-free (800) 443-4200. Charge your 
order to your Visa, MasterCard or 
American Express. While you’re on 
the line ask us about GEM DRAW,’^" 


our nifty $149.00 graphics package with 
an extensive gallery of art. 

Or mail this order form, along with 
your payment. 


r^i 

I AJ. 


Name. 


* GEM rri|uim tKat your co/nputcr hive appropnaic graphic! capability and that the pointing device be compatible. Call for euct requirements. 
GEM, GEM DRAW and GEM DESKTOP ate iradetnarlu of Digital Reiearch Inc. IBM tsaregitiered trademark of International Business 
Machines Corporation. Digital Research is a registered trademark of Ehgital Research Inc. C 1985. Digital Research liic. All rights reserved. 

CIRCLE 128 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


Address. 

City 

State 


-ZIP- 


GEM DESKTOP 

S49.95 plus S3.00 shipping and 

handling. 

GEM DRAW 

S149.00 plus S4.00 shipping and 
handling. 

Applicable sales or use tax will be added. COD. 
checks or purchase orders will not be accepted. 
(Outside USA add $10.) 

Method of payment. Circle one. 

VISA MASTERCARD AM. EX. 

Card number 

Exp. date 

Signature . 


Mail to: GEM Software 

Digital Research Inc. 
60 Garden Court 
Box DRI 

Monterey, CA 93942 
Or call (800) 443.4200. 

0GEM‘ 

nu)M I)k;it\i.rkse.\R(:ii® pcm.6 



INTRODUaNG 



WE INTERRUPT 
PRODUCT 



THIS MAJOR 
INTRODUCTION TO 
YOU SOMETHING 
REAILY 
IMPORTANT. 


THE BIG NEWS IN DISK/TWE IS PC/T, A 
SENSIBU NEW APPROACH 10 ARCHIVAL 
STORAGE. 

We’ve tamed tape. And made it docile. 
By making it DOS-like. 

So, while this started as an ad for our 
five new HardFile™ subsystems, which 
deliver 25 to 80 merabytes of hard disk 
storage and 60 megabytes of tape backim, 
instead we want to introduce you to PC/T.™ 

PC/T is a new format that makes 
tape a more sensible storage solution for 
personal computers. It puts tape on line. 

In real time, for instant access. And frees 
your hard disk for your most current data. 

You already know how to use PC/T. 
Because it responds to standard DOS 
commands. 

Here’s the big news: just like any 
DOS-controlled hard or floppy disk, PC/T 
enables tou to create directories and files 
on tape. Then you can call up the exact file 
you need, and change a portion of the tape 
without having to erase and overwrite the 
entire cartridge. 





Without PC/T. you have 
to rewrite the entire 60 MB 
cartridge each time you 
make a single change. 


With PC/T. you create and 
directly access files on 
tape, just like with floppy 
or harddisk. 


PC/T formats each new tape cartridge, 
just like you format any hard or floppy 
disk, locking out bad blocks to assure that 
every bit of data you write to tape is 
recorded with utter accuracy. 

What’s more, PC/T gives tape true 
error correction capability. 50% redundancy 
during write operations ensures 100% 
reconstruction of data lost because of oper- 
ator error, dust and dirt, or everyday wear 
and tear. 

There is a catch. You can get your 
hands on PC/T just one way: Buy one of our 
powerful new HardFile subsystems. With 
disk plus tape. Or tape alone. Which brings 
us back to where we started. And gives 
you a place to start. Just call 1-800-228- 
DISK for the Tallgrass dealer nearest you. 

TAtlGRASS SILLS MOHR HARD DISK 
STORAOI WITH CARTRIDOB TAM 
BACKUP THAN AHYONI IN THB 
WORLD. 



TALLGRASS* 

TECHNOLOGIES 


COMMITTED TO MEMORY 


CIRCLE 198 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


HardFiie'and TkllgnM^arr tnidemarka 
of Tkllsnaa TbchiM^opea Cnrpnntinn 
c> 1985 l^llgnaa Technologies 


Buy our 

384k board fca* 
yourAISa’PC. 

’feu’ll thank us a bundle. 



FASTCARD. 

Our FASTCARD super memory 
board uses 256K DRAM chip tech- 
nology to expand memory to 
640K. FASTCARD is designed 
with a 16 bit bus interface to take 
advantage of the speed of the 
AT&T PC 6300 and comes fully 
populated with 384 K of mcmor>’ 
FASTWARE. 

Our 30 software automatically 
increases the speed of disk access. 
Provides RAM cache, print buffering 
and cuts hard disk-to-floppy backup 
time in half. No hardware or soft- 
ware alterations required. 


Brtghtbill-Roberis is a graphics 
enhancement utility that co- 
resides in background memory 
and pops up at a keystroke to 
enhance existing graphics 
programs. 

Now that’s a bundle. Offer subject 
to availability. For information or 
credit card orders, call toll-free 
1-800-621-8282. Or write THESYS, 
7345 East Acoma Drive, Scottsdale. 
Arizona 85260, 1-602-991-7356. 
Dealer inquiries invited. Shipping 
costs extra. 

For use with AT&T PC 6300 only. 


Buy our THESYS FASTCARD™ 
Memory board for AT&T* at 
the regular price of $595 and 
get the $149 Grafix Partner 
and our $ 60.00 faSTWARE™ 
3X) High Performance soft- 
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Exclusively Distributed by : 

DUCOMMUN 
DATA 

SYSTEMS 


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(800)338-8811 This best-selling software from — ^ Thanks for the Memory 



CIRCXE 103 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





DAIABASE. 

CARTRIDGE DATA MANAGEMENT COMES OF AGE 


Today’s business microcomputers have generated an infor- 
mation explosion that today’s data storage devices-including 
the highly-touted, high- 
capacity Winchesters- 
have been ill-prepared 
to contain. 

With one notable excep- 
tion. 'The Bernoulli Box ” 
from IOMEGA. With its removable 10 megabyte cartridges and 
its proprietary flexible disk technology, ’The Bernoulli Box 
delivers unparalleled data base dynamics. 


But there is more. More performance and reliability. ’Itansfer 
rates and access times faster than most Winchesters. No 
head washes ever. And cost per megabyte that Winchesters 
cannot touch. 

’The Bernoulli Box’s cartridge capacity, portability, and absolute 
interchangeability give your business more options. You can 
easily build primary data bases. You can package individualized 
data bases, software and all- for payroll, accounting, marketing- 
in convenient, dedicated cartridges. You can secure them quickly 
and economically in backup. And you can pack all of the data 
into a briefcase, an interoffice envelope, or even a file drawer. 









L*li/IEGA 


IOMEGA Corporation 

1821 West 4000 South 
Roy. Utah 84067 


CIRCLE 202 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


And that, more and more, is what your business needs today. 
Not cenfralized, monolithic banks of information, but data 
bases defined by job function and software application. Data 
bases that give people the versatility to work more productively. 


The Bernoulli Box. For the IBM PC, XT, AT, most compatibles and 
the Tl Professional. For the dealer nearest you, call 
1-800-556-1234 ext 215. In California call 
-2345 ext 215. 



IRMAprint 


IRMAUnk FT/3270 



Now that 50iVe fimied a lasting lelationsl^^ 


With more than 100,000 boards installed so 
far, IRMA™ has become the standard micro-to- 
mainframe link in the 3270 environment 
That's just the kind of success that gives a 
company a lot of big ideas. 

like IRMAline™ and IRMAlette™ remote PC- 
to-mainfirame links that work with the ease of 


IRMA. IRMAprint™ a 3287 emulator. IRMAcom™ 
a board that will emulate a 3270 controller. 
IRMAkey/3270™ a keyboard that puts PC and 
terminal functions together. And IRMAvision™ a 
new monochrome di^lay adapter for any IBM 
personal computer. When used with IRMA, it 
emulates a 3278 terminal mod two through five. 


IRMAIette 


mMAUnkFT/TSO 



with IRMA, isnt it time met ihe fernily^ 


With that kind of exciting hardware, we 
wouldn't think of disappointing you with any of 
our new software products. 

For example, ERMAlink FT/TSO^and FT/CMS"; 
two host-based file transfer systems. And the 
new IRMAlink FT/3270™ software supporting 
IBM's PROFS and PROFS PCC. 


All compatible with IBM PCs, XTs and ATs. 
Find out more. Just call 1-800-241-IRMA. Or 
Telex 261375 DCAUR. 

e!eci 

On— CowiwcKif «ienw* "K 

IKMA IRMAImt lttAIAkm.aMApnm.aUttAam.l»MAlil^i2n IRMAhmkFmO. OUMimkFnCMS. IKMAMi 
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CIRCLE 122 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC BRANDIS CRAFTSMAN" 
TOOLS FOR “C” SHOPS 


C CROSS COMPILERS 

PorlablUtyto t6-BU lust Gol A Lot Easier 
With Cross Compilers From Lattlee 

PC BRAND now carries an assort- 
ment of cross compilers to move pro- 
ducts from larger host machines to the 
PC-DOS or MS-DOS" environment. 

Take a glance at the list below. 

Cash in on products already devel- 
oped on your bigger machines by rapid 
transit to the burgeoning world of PC 
owners. 

MS-DOS or PC-DOS Target: 

VAX/VMS Host 
VAX/UNIX Host 
MC68000/UNIX Host 
Altos S86 Host 
Hewlett Packard-UX 


TEXT TOOLROZ™ #1 

Tbese OtUUles Work Wonders el Organisallen 


Or take advantage of big machine ser- 
vices and utilities to do development 
work for the PC market, and only then 
download the results. A quick mental 
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ductivity gains will quickly trade off 
these costs. Call for availability. 


Product Code: 

LIOVM# 

LIOUX* 

LI068« 

LIOAL# 

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Price: 

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C-SPRITE 

Lattice's Own Debngger lor LalUc^C 


This versatile companion to your com- 
piler gives you the best of both worlds 
for an out of this world price. Hand it a 
COM or EXE file produced by the Lat- 
tice Compiler (using the -d option) and 
C'Sprite" will speak your language: your 
function names, your variable names, 
your data types, and the line numbers 
from your source code. At the same 
time, if you want to scrutinize just what 
machinations the compiler (or an 
assembler) has contrived, you can get a 
close-up view of machine addresses and 
machirte coded instructions. 

You can set simple breakpoints using 
symbols or addresses, or submit clusters 
of commands to be executed at the 
breakpoints, or set commands that ex- 
ecute until a condition is met. 

You already know how to converse 
with C-Sprite, if you are familiar with 
Mkrosoft’s Debug. Lattice began with 
that well-known command language, 
and then added to it considerably: You 
can work with data in hex. as you might 
expea, and you can also differentiate 
baween C’s data types, causing the 
debugger to treat addresses as pointers, 
or stnngs, or long integers, ac., both in 
display and entry. C-Sprite even has 
maaos — use your source code variable 
names in a macro to dump the contents 
of entire C struaures, for example. And 
you can debug throu^ one of the COM 
ports with a second terminal so as not to 
disturb your program's display screen. 
What’s more, if you link with Plink86™. 
C-Sprite can even tackle overlays. 

Program doaors will find plenty of 
implements to rummage through in this 

n* i- j List Price Our Price 
ProduaCode: Aine 
L2300# *175 $159 


Welcome to "grep”, “wc”, "ed” and 
"diff*, tools you will reach for as 
routinely as "copy” once you come to 
know them. Unix" boasts a number of 
muscular utilities that are migrating to 

CTUE 

A Text Editor to Make 
Your Own 

CVUE is a neat screen oriented text 
editor which does most of the things that 
a good editor should do. such as 
automatic saoUing vertically and 
horizontally, insertion and overtype en- 
try modes, block delae, undelae and 
move, and full DOS 2.0 direaoty path 
name support in reading and writing 
files. 

It is easy to learn with a comprehen- 
sive command menu screen which makes 
the documentation an ornament. It was 
written by the Lattice programmers who 
fdt forgotten by the folks who write WP 
software. They needed easy entry of 
non-display charaaers such as control 
codes a^ escape sequences, not foot- 
notes. Indenting and Undentii^ of block 
struaures loomed larger than italic (An- 
ting for them. Pattern searching won out 
over spell checking. So CVUE was born. 

CVUE has its limitation. It only sup- 
ports in-memory text files, but with 


memory at today’s prices, creating and 
— imairing fUM of over 500 KBytes long f„„Kes. It uses complex alicrtthms to 


the PC world. Lattice has assembled this 
cluster of the most useful text manage- 
ment tools into a single package. 

"Grep” looks for text patterns in any 
number of files. Its powerful expression 
syntax goes far beyond your text editor’s 
search command. Use of "(. + )" with 
"•.c” will find in all files with ".c” ex- 
tensions all lines with parenthesized ex- 
pressions, no matter how many 
charaaers lie baween. Want to find all 
function calls? Look fw all occurrettces 
of, say, a global variable througt^out a 
program system? Search for all pro- 
grams in a direaory, use paths to other 
direaories? Find ail files on a disk? 
"Grep” will grab them all. 

"WC” counts lines, words, and 
charaaers in a file and has a ch^sum 
independent of machine charaaer sets so 
you can test wbaher a file has een 
traiuferred successfuUybaween com- 
puters. 

"Ed” is similar to the well-known 
Unix editor. It offers search and replace 
with "Grep’s” syntax, block move, read 
and write, optional line numbering, ap- 
pend. insert, ddae, and this unusual 
facility; you can instrua "Ed” to apply 
a file of commands to any number of 
targa files, even complicated changes 
and text additions, such as those created 
by "DifP’. 

"Diff”? You’ve probably tried to 
write one (and then discovered how 
tangled the logic gets). "Diff’ compares 
text files line for line and reports dif- 


is practical. Anyway, modular source 
code of struaured programs never gets 


re-synchronize between files after 
disparities involving any number of lines 


nearly that big. As c^pcnsation, CVUE jj-g found. And it outtmts a precise list 


is very compaa and fast. It aaually runs 
in computers with only 64 KBytes of 
memory and uses no tediously slow 
overlays to perform its full funaion 
repertoire. 

The power of CVUE is its ease of 
customization. Even with only a binary 
license, full customization of the 
keybovd editing commands is offered. 
And when you take advantage of the 
Source Co^ option (found dsewhere In 
this ad.) the resultant editor can be made 
truly your own. ^ 

Product Code: ■-», Price OurPnee 

L2240# 


$100 $90 


dR-C 

Switch bom dBASE to C but Power and Speed 

There are a lot of dBASE" file users 
out there. Most just maintain data bases 
and use dBASE’s limited reporting 
facilities. They’re not programmers, so 
they don't use the dBASE programming 


have to write every line of code, because 

now you’ve unlocked C’s vast storehouse functions for saeen management, and 

aF aFF ..Wmlf ..K.J ...511.5s. ... X .. . . . . v . ... . 


of instructions tdling what to do to make 
two files exactly the same, a list which 
can be handed to "Ed” to do the job! 

You’ll ultimatdy find such assistance 
indispensible. Like having a librarian to 
sort out the confusion every day and 
keep your work tidy. 

Price: 

Produa Code: L2220lli $120 


CURSES 

A Scremi Management 
Interlace to Swear By 

Curses is a Lattice aeation which 
manages the screen of the IBM PC in the 
same fashion as the curses utility of Unix 
and similar operating systems. Use it to 
adapt programs which call Unix’s curses 


language. But they’d like a greata raurn files at once. 


of off-the-shelf libraries and utilities. 

And you add power: dBC las you 
open and process eight index and data 


on their efforts, and that's a business op- 
portunity that makes this produa impor- 
tant to you. 

dBC" links C to dBASE. This new 
product from Lattice creates files which 
exaaly replicate dBASE file design. So 
dBASE can read and update them. And 


Use dBC for custom work. Or design 
generalized programs for manipulation 
and reporting of dBase data b^es. Or 
use it on its own. It’s a complae file 
manager for use with the Lattice C Com- 
piler whaher or not dBASE will eva be 
used in tandem. dBC comes as a library 


the revase. dBC can use any files aeated of objea modules, with vasions for all 


. . . Unix' Bell Leboralorlm • (.aide* 

C. C-Food SmoroMOom, Lattica Window, LMK, 
C-Spdla. and dB^^Laltlca Inc. • MS' MIeraaoff 
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by dBASE. Now C and dBase can 
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This opens up the widespread culture 
of dBASE installations to exploitation. 
As a C programma, you can replace the 
resident dBASE language with speed! 
Both C’s and your own; you no longa 

Dbase II Compatibility: 

Dbase III Compatibility: 


four memory models. It’s a complae sa 
of ISAM routines (that parallel dBASE 
commands) which aeate and maintain 
index and data files. The manual 
discusses each in daail, and demonstra- 
tion source files on your disk show how 
evay funaion is us^. 

Product Code; List Price 'i'" 
LOOM* (250 $225 

LOIII* 250 225 

Combined; $500 375 


need the equivalent library when moved 
to the PC for re-compilation. Or use it 
when aeati^ software on the PC to 
assure that it is Unix compatible. 

Curses is a library of eighty-four func- 
tions and maaos which can keep any 
number of screen images in memory. 

Within a screen. Curses employs a vast 
funaion sa to ga charaaas, wrap lines, 
saoU, blank lines, highlight — virtually 
every tool needed to upd^e the saeen. 
The produa supports color, and all four 
memory models. In keeping with the ta- 
minal orientation of Unix curses, the 
physical screen is re-painted (at high 
sp^) only when your program calls a 
refre^ funaion. 

Writing screen management axle leads 
to unspeakable snarls and expressions. 
Swear off! La Courses clean up your 
lai^uage. 

ProduaCode: *i«e msmnnnn 
L0850# **25 $100 


PRECISION SOFTWARE 
FOR PROGRAMMERS 


SUPPORT DIRECT FROM LATTICE 

Products with codes beginning “L” are all from Lattice Inc., the 
premier software devdoper sovina the C professional marketplace. PC BRi^D 
has made spedal arrangements for Lattice to provide tdephone support for 
these products directly. 

Take advantage of this unusual opportunity. Buy from PC BRAND, and you 
get to talk to the experts themselves! 

30-DAY MONEY-RACK GUARANTEE' 

It gets better. We will return the purchase pricf of any "L” or "N” coded 
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read that correctly. We want you to be completdy satisfied with your pur- 
chase. Go through the manuals, try out the fuvducts themselves, and make a 
thoroughly informed decision whether they are right for you. 

There are rules: We can make this offer in the U.S. and Canada only. For 
you to be eligible for refund or credit, we must receive your returned p^uct 
within 30 days of its shipment. Everything but the pocking must in our judg- 
ment be in 100^ resaleable condition. 

(a) Subject to terms and conditions of sale, (b) Not shipping and handling. 


LMK 

J nnix-Uk0 "Make' 


Makes light oi System BnUdbtg 


CODE SIFTER 

Ftsid ike Mot Spots iu Your Program 


Fast is never fast enough; mily 
miracles need apply. That’s whu’s ex- 
pected in today’s marketplace, so our 
Code Sifter is an important tool to add 
to your workbench- 

Code Sifter finds the trouble spots in 
your program. On its own. it will divide 
a COM or EXE Hie of any size into 
thirty-two equal partitions. Alternative- 
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daries with addresses, or with symbols if 
your linker has produced a symbol map. 
Then tdl Sifter to run vour program. It 
samites your object file at preasely 
tim^ intervals and counts how many 
tiroes it finds the instruction pointer in 
each partition. Job done, it reports the 
number and percentage of hits in each 
partition. 

You are in ftH* some surprises when 
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Sifter is so valuable. It profiles just 
where you can best spend time optimiz- 
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assembler subroutines. 

Code Sifter has a number of monitor- 
ing options. You can tdl it to include any 
combination of your program. DOS, 
and BIOS in its analysis. You can spedfy 
the sampling rate. Most important, you 
can tell Code Sifter the number of times 
to run a program, and between each run 
discard the ^ active ranges and re- 
partition the hot spots, so that you zoom 


in ever tighter on small areas of code. 
Right down to the last byte! Literally. 
Try it on the sample program that comes 
with your disk. 

Co^ Sifter. It will give you the racer’s 
edge. 

Product Code: List Price 

N3100# $119 $99 


USED COMPILERS 
WELCOME 

Trade In tor the Latest 
Model Lalitce C 

Has your compiler run out of gas? 

Has your modd been discontinue? Is it 
falling behind for lack of new parts? 

Even if yours is in good shape, you 
have surdy noticed there are more op- 
tions and accessories produced to run 
with the Lattice C Ccminler than any 
other. Don’t do without these additives 
any lonm. It’s time for new license 
pl^es. Trade in your original disks and 
manual of any of the compilers below 
and we’U send you Lattice’s most up-to- 
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time). 

From then on you will be adopted by 
Lattice for full, direct support by their 
technical specialists. 

Product Code LU 150: Price: ^ ^ 

Microsoft MS-DOS/PC-DOS C $150 time information found in the file <Urec- 


If you have ever built a comi^ex 
system, you know the time loss and 
tedium of recompiling, rebuilding 
libraries and relinking modules because a 
snii^iet or two of code has changed. 
Batch files are no answer. You need 
batches of them to avoid redoing 
everything indiscriminately. 

Instead, imagine making a change 
deep in a system, and simply tdling Lat- 
tice’s LMI^ to take over. No further 
thinking <M' keystrokes. LMK will n^uild 
your fu^ product, however involved 
and complex, by doing just what is 
needed and no more. 

How? You write a command file 
which expresses bottom to top all the 
elements comprising your system and all 
its dependenaes: what gets compiled to 
make what object file using what op- 
tions; what is built into libraries; what is 
linked into the final EXE file. Through 
the life of your system, LMK keeps track 
of the last time every action was per- 
formed. Run LMK and. tracking each 
branch, it looks only for elements which 
changed later than a dependent element 
further along the branch, using date and 


Produa Code LD200: 
Computer Innovations C86 
Manx Aztec C86 
Mark Williams C 
Wizard C 
Digital Research C 
Whitesmith’s C 


200 

200 

200 

200 


SOURCE CODE FOR SALE 

Designer Ori^tsaSs Tor Your Special Meeds 

’’One size fits all” turns away disappointed customers. When you cannot 
shoehorn your application into out-of-the-box software, we have the solution. 
For each of these products only, PC Brand now licenses source code, j^ovided 
you buy (or have already bou^t) from us the object code* counterpart. Take it 
in. let it out, and make it fit snugly to your needs. And. if you are new to C, you 
will learn a lot apprenticing this fully documented code from top designers. 


Lattice C Compiler Library 

Produa Code; 

List Price 

Our Price 

for MS-IX>S/PC-DOS 

L9100# 

$500 

$450 

forZSO 

L910Z« 

500 

450 

C-Food Smorgasbord Library 

L9200# 

500 

450 

Curses Library 

L98SO# 

125 

115 

dB-C Library 



225 

for dBase 11 

L90II# 

250 

for dBase III 

L9IIlilf 

250 

225 

CVUE Screen Editor 

L9240# 

350 

315 

Text Toolbox 11 

L9220# 

120 

110 


tory.Any source file newer than its ob- 
$200 ject file, for example. Only those 

elements and their dependents are re- 
made. All other instructions are bypass- 
ed. 

The command file uses a simple, 

readable syntax — "prog.obj: prog.c 

200 $(HDRVS)”, for example, says what 
source file this object file depends on, 
and fills the previously defined macro 
" HDRVS into the expression, which here 
mi^t be a list of files with hardware 
drivers, or in another case your preferred 
string of compiler options. 

LMK does not care what program- 
ming language you use; it’s not just for 
C. For thu matter, LMK can apply to 
more than programming. It can be used 
for any set of tasks which can be sc- 
ctMnpUshed through commands issued to 
the operating system. Try it for reputed 
re-assembly of lengthy documenution, 
or for selective re-consolidation of 
spreadsheets so that only dependents of 
changed supporting sch^ultt get re- 
calculated. 

Wherever your imagination leads you, 
LMK will find the shortest path to get 
the job done. Minimum time, minimum 
effort software. 


Product Code: 
L2100III 


Lisl Price Our PHce 

$195 $175 


TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE 

Licenses: Each price Is for a license to 
use a product on a single computer and 
does not constitute product ownership. 
Aak about availability of other terms for 
multiple machine use at a single site. 
Products coded '*#” may be used to cre- 
ate programs for distribution without 
royalty payments or additional licenses, 
provWsd said programs do not substan- 
tially replicate the products themselves. 
Compatibility: PC BRAND’S standard 
products are designed to operate with 
the IBM PC. PC )CT or AT under PC-OOS 
and require no more than t28K of RAM 
unless indicated. 

Return of Non-'L'<Coded Products: Ac- 
ceptance for refurKJ or credit only by prior 


authorization subject to a re-stocking 
charge. Software diskettes are delivered 
in sealed envelopes and are unretumable 
if seal is brokert Defective products will 
be replaced in whole or part 
Payment; We honor MasterCard & Visa 
(no surcharge), wired funds, checks In ad- 
vance, and COO for cash or certified 
check ($5 fee). Purchase orders accepted 
from corporations and Institutions at our 
discretion; 2% per month added to 
balances unpaid after 30 days. 

Shlpplr^g & Handling: U.Sj UPS Surface: 
l8t product S8, each add'1 S3.00. UPS 2nd 
Day Air 1st product $10, each add'l $4.50. 
UPS Next Day Air or Federal Express: 1st 
product $18, each add'l $6. International: 
Charges deper>dent on destination and 
method of shipment. 


We’re as Near as Your Telephone. Call us at... 

800-PC BRAND 

That’s (800) 722-7263. In NY State call (212) 410-4001 . 
PC Brand, 345 E. 86th St., New York, N.Y. 10028 


Prices, terms, and specifications sub)ect to charvge without notice. 


C 19^ PC BRAND 


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For everyone who ever tried 
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The perfect computer program 
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It lets you keep several other 
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Do you ever go in so many directions 
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TbpView is a new kind of software 
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Once you load TopView into your 
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Little Tramp character licensed by Bubbles IrK.. s.a. 






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At SSI we face a monu- 
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not found on many word 
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word phonetic dictionary; 

multi- page foot- 
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contents and 
index gener- 
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QRCLE 154 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


I 


JUNE 11, 1985 



Hews In Brief 37 

Sfmposium 44 

PC Update 54 

Communiques 58 

People in the Hews 52 


4 Mraabytes o/ZZ/lAf 


Dramatic 
on-board memory 
improvements go to 
bat against highly 
touted bank- 
switching schemes. 
BY CRAIG L, STARK 


NEW YORK— Spring COM- 
DEX will be remembered as the 
computer show at which the PC 
and XT finally acquired 
multimegabytc RAM capacity, 
along with upgrades of several 
popular software packages to 
make use of it (see ‘’Memory 
Scheme Breaks 640K." PC 
Magazine. Volume 4 Number 
lO.p.33). 

The introduction of a memo- 
ry-expansion card with full 
memory-management facilities 
for 4 megabytes of on-board PC 
RAM was one of the more excit- 
ing of these developments. Un- 
like other multimegabyte ex- 
pansion cards, the All ATl/M 
card, by All Computers. Inc. . of 
Toronto, is not limited to the 
“bank switching” technique 
for extending the PC’s memory 
beyond 640K. However, in ad- 
dition to being able to handle 
that “standard” expansion 
method. All’s custom CMOS 
MMU (memory management 
unit) chip provides the “pro- 
tected mode” facilities of the 
80286 CPU used in the PC AT. 

According to Mers Kutt. 
All’s genial president, the PC 
and the AT are destined for dif- 


ferent lines of development. 
The AT. with the inherent mem- 
ory-management capabilities of 
the 80286, represents a high- 
cost. high-horsepower, elite 
route. The PC and XT. by con- 
trast. are less-costly to design 
for. but, given sufficient memo- 
ry capabilities, their 8088 can 
still meet the needs of the high- 
volume memory market. Like a 
wily veteran whose fastball is 
losing its pop. the IBM PC has 
to develop a crafty knuckler to 
remain a major league starter in 


BYBILLMACHRONE 


NEW YORK— Some will call it 
networking and some will call it 
disk sharing. One thing everyone 
will call it is cheap. The Software 
Link (TSL). based in Atlanta. 
Ga.. has introduced LanLink, a 
no-hardwarc solution to inter-PC 
communication and data sharing. 
At $495 for the server and first 
satellite, with additional satellites 
costing $195, LanLink sets a 
price point that will be tough to 
beat. 

LanLink uses the PC’s exist- 
ing serial ports, taking advantage 
of a little-known high-speed 
mode that permits data rates of up 
to 1 15,000 bps. LanLink requires 
no plug-in Ixiards. only a stan- 
dard RS-232 connector. 


the years ahead . 

Bank-switched memory, the 
currently touted solution to ex- 
panding PC memory, is an old 
and honorable technique. Kutt 
used it himself in a 1972 micro 
that ran the notoriously memo- 
ry-hungry APL on a chip inher- 
ently limited to I6K. The trou- 
ble is that for really 
memory-intensive programs 
such as spreadsheets, bank- 
switching can only switch 64K 
memory segments (10 percent 
of the PC’s 640K) at one time. 


Ports of Call 

There are many ways to con- 
figure LanLink, depending on 
your needs. You can set up a 
“star” central file server with 
one of the new 4- or 8-serial port 


Moreover, for multi-user or 
multitasking applications, 
bank-switching lacks adequate 
protection to keep what happens 
in one part of memory from af- 
fecting other, simultaneously 
active parts. 

Absolute Protection 

With hardware-based memo- 
ry management, on the other 
hand, protection is ab.solute. 
Further, a single bit can switch 
an entire I megabyte memory 

(continued on next page) 


cards, or you can daisy-chain 
them, using two serial ports per 
machine. There can be multiple 
servers in the configuration, and 
you can run programs on the 

(continued on next page) 


The Price Is RigM On 
New Local Area Networks 



PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


33 


lIlusiraDunby Michael Ng 



PC NEWS 



The AH ATVM muliime/iuhvie exptjnsiim card can handle hank-sH iu hed or memor\ -managed programs. 


them. Finally, if the UNIX op- 
erating system becomes a stan- 
dard, memory management will 
become a prerequisite. “UNIX 


memory-managed programs. 
Kutt seems to have stolen a 
march on the major board mak- 
ers. In the meantime, before any 


directly from All Computers 
Inc. 1 10 Bloor St. West. Suite 
501 , Toronto. Canada MSS 
2W7. (416)960-01 11. ■ 


on a bank-switched PC is un- 
thinkable." Kutt observes. 

Since the All ATl/M card can 
handle either bank-switched or 


RAM (• 


map at once, preventing the 
“thra.shing" (frequent uploads 
and downloads of memory 
overlays) that can slow the 
throughput of bank-switched 
systems. Moreover, as software 
writers develop increasingly so- 
phisticated software designed 
for the AT, only memory-man- 
aged PCs will be able to run 


of the new software is available, 
this observer is basking in the 
luxury of a mere megabyte (ex- 
pandable to 3.5 megabytes) 
RAMdisk atop a maxed-out 
(640K)XT. 

The AH Card is priced com- 
petitively. capable of using ei- 
ther 64K or 256K chips, has 
selectable clock and serial port 
options, and can even be or- 
dered without the MMU module 


Mewinformatbmtbvup 

ShouisYariceehgemiify 


NEW YORK— The Yankee 
Group, a Boston-based commu- 
nications and consulting firm, 
has announced an electronic 
publishing and messaging ser- 
vice called Yankee Net. 

Yankee Net distributes re- 
search, newsletters, and news 
analyses that arc prepared by the 
Yankee Group staff. Users ob- 
tain access to Yankee Group re- 
search and data with a key-word 
search function. An electronic 
mail system is also part of the 
Yankee Net subscription, al- 
lowing for two-way interaction 
between subscribers and ana- 
lysts at the Yankee Group. Us- 
ers can leave mail for the ana- 
lysts and receive answers to 
specific questions. 

Howard Anderson, founder 
and president of the Yankee 
Group, says that the present 
user base consists of 450 com- 
panies and individuals that are 
already Yankee Group clients. 
He expects the Yankee Group's 
share of the addressable market 


to be 6.000 users by 1990. out 
of a potential user base of 
60.0()0. Anderson expects the 
market to grow at a rate of 20 
percent a year. 


R’s Semi-Official: 
IBMHasMade2 
Million PCs 

Trying to get sales figures from 
IBM is like trying to pry supper 
from a python's mouth. In fact, 
true to its corpe^rate form. Big 
Blue usually protects such data 
as vigorously as its copyrights. 
But every once in a while, some 
numbers do leak out — and this 
lime the source is none other 
than the company itself. 

In the premiere issue of the 
IBM Entry Systems Division in- 
house publication, ESD News, a 
photo caption saluted the com- 
pany’s two-millionth PC as it 
rolled off the assembly line in 
Boca Raton last March. No fur- 


Yankec Net can be accessed 
from any device with ASCII 
communications, such as a per- 
sonal computer, word proces- 
sor. or teletypewriter. Cost for a 
1 year subscription to Yankee 
Net is $ 1 ,900 per person for 750 
minutes. There is a charge for 
additional minutes thereafter. 

— Virginia Dudek 


thcr comment was included, but 
none was really needed. 

The mention could have easi- 
ly slipped by unnoticed, hidden 
away as it was on the newspa- 
per's back page. Nevertheless, 
it should cause some industry 
observers to update PC sales es- 
timates in their files. 

A check with the consulting 
firm. Future Computing, Inc., 
in Richardson. Texas, put its es- 
timate of PCs in use at approxi- 
mately 1 ,490.000 (at the end of 
the first quarter of this year). Ei- 
ther the number is way off or 
IBM is sitting on a stockpile of 
PCs that it will have to unload 
before introducing a PC succes- 
sor. 

Pick your prophecy. 

— Martin Porter 


HewlMIs (eontiitHedf 

server while it provides disk re- 
sources. LanLink doesn't mind 
if one of the serial ports happens 
to be a modem. It comes with a 
line-monitoring program that 
asks for a password before 
granting a remote user disk ac- 
cess. A batch file restarts the 
monitor program after each use 
and drops the DTR line to hang 
up the phone when passwords 
are invalid. 

When you start the LAN 
server program, you specify 
what resources you want to 
make available to each satellite, 
including printers. TSL pro- 
vides printer sharing and spool- 
ing utilities. 

Uncanny LAN 

1 tested LanLink on my PC AT 
with a Datavue 25 portable 
hooked to the COM): port and 
COM2: equipped with a 
Smaitmodem for dial-in opera- 
tions. LanLink's ease of use was 
almost uncanny. 1 connected the 
serial ports and ran a few pro- 
grams. Next thing I knew. I 
could access the AT's hard disk 
as drive C: on the Datavue. I ran 
all my favorite programs over the 
LAN without a hitch. The load 
times, of coui^. were a bit slow- 
er than loading from floppy disk, 
but speed isn't the main thrust of 
this kind of network. You move 
files from machine to machine 
with the DOS COPY command, 
even when connected by modem. 
What could be simpler? 

LanLink has one of the most 
humane copy protection 
schemes I've seen in a long 
time. You can evaluate the pro- 
gram as much as you like — it 
times-out after 15 minutes or so 
of use. after which you must re- 
start the machine. If you don't 
like LanLink. you can simply 
return it to the dealer. When you 
decide to keep it, you rip open 
an envelope enclosed in the 
package. A password decrypts 
an unprotected version, with no 
time limit. 

LanLink is an affordable, 
practical solution to many low- 
end networking problems. It is 
especially well suited for situa- 
tions where the passing of mod- 
erate-sized files and occasional 
remote access are the primary 
concerns. ■ 


34 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 




PC NEWS 


Publisher Faces 
Lotus Lawsuit 


BY CHARLES BERMANT 

CAMBRIDGE. Mass.— Lotus 
Development Corporation has 
accused a small computer book 
publisher of copyright infringe- 
ment. threatening legal action 
unless the publisher withdraws 
all copies of its simplified Lotus 
manual. Refuting this. Manage- 
ment Information Source, the 
publisher of The Manual: Lotus 
1-2-3. claims that Lotus action 
is an attempt to stifle freedom of 
the press. 

The Manual: Lotus 1-2-3 is 
one of six similar books pub- 
lished by MIS of Portland. Ore- 
gon about popular software pro- 
grams. The books claim to be 
better indexed and easier to un- 
derstand than the manuals sup- 
plied by the software publishers 
themselves. MicroPro's Word- 
star and Ashton-Tate's dBASE 
// and Framework are also the 
subjects of MIS manuals; nei- 
ther of these companies, how- 
ever. had at press time seen the 
manuals. 

Unlike Lotus's 1-2-3. Word- 
star and dBASE // are not copy- 
protected. This raises the pos- 
sibility that inexpensive alterna- 
tive manuals could encourage 
unauthorized large scale pro- 
gram duplication. MIS publish- 
er Robert E. Williams, howev- 
er. denies that his books 
promote this sort of activity. 
Furthermore, he maintains that 
The Manual: Lotus 1-2-3 con- 
tains “25 percent more infor- 
mation” than Lotus supplies. 

Lotus Alone 

Lotus disagrees, claiming 
that The Manual adds nothing to 
Lx)lus's 1-2-3 package, and. in 
many sections, only rewrites the 
company's proprietary docu- 
mentation. According to Lo- 
tus's general counsel Lindsey 
Kiang. a multipage document 
that shows specific Incidents of 
plagiarism has been prepared by 
a group of outside lawyers. 

Kiang. who would not re- 
lease that document, says, “It's 
a fairly blatant case of infringe- 


ment. They used different 
words, but that doesn't change 
the fact that the material has 
been plagiarized.” 

MIS. which has five employ- 
ees and has put out ten books an- 
nually since 1981. published the 
Power Of book series, which 
deals with a variety of software 
programs. Williams, who re- 
ceived the Lotus warning after 
trying to advertise The Manual 
in a new magazine published by 
Lotus, feels that he is the injured 
party. He also acknowledges 
that his small company would 
suffer if forced to engage Lotus 
in a costly legal battle. 

Harpooned 

The Manual has a low-budget 
flair, down to its white-on-black 
cover lettering and the paper 
keyboard template users must 
cut from the front of the book. 
Its publisher claims that it is free 
of complicated computer ver- 
biage and could be used either 
alone or in the same way that a 


Ashton-Tate also 
acquires Forefront. 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— The 
company that made the first 
electronic spreadsheet and the 
company whose spreadsheet re- 
placed it at the top of the best- 
seller charts have joined forces. 
In April. Lotus, maker of 1-2-3. 
acquired Software Arts, creator 
of VisiCalc. Lotus will take 
over the marketing and support 
of VisiCalc, TK! Solver, an 
equation-solving program, and 
Spotlight, a desktop organizer. 

According to the principals 
involved, the sudden acquisi- 
tion was decided during a plane 
ride that Dan Bricklin. chair- 
man of Software Arts, and 
Mitch Kapor. chairman of Lo- 


student might rely on Cliff 
Notes to study Moby Dick. 

“Our book is better indexed 
than the Lotus manual." he 
says. “It's organized different- 
ly, with different command 
structures. 

“Many people have recently 
told me that they are using our 
book and have put the Lotus's 
manual aside.” 

MIS was given an April 20 
deadline to respond to Lotus's 
charge. After double-checking 
the book for possible copyright 
violations and determining 
there were none. MIS attorney 
Dan Chemoff of Portland. Ore., 
wrote Lotus that its action 
“smacks loudly of antitrust.” 
Williams and MIS arc now 
poised to pursue the case to its 
conclusion. 

“We're not out to do the 
wrong thing. That's not the in- 
tent of the product.” he says. 
“But we're not backing down. 
The stuff that Lotus came to us 
with at first was not copyright 
infringement. I don't know 
what Lotus sees as its copyright. 
If they say the whole book is 
copyright infringement then 
we'll have another battle.” 

“We don't .send this kind of 
letter off lightly.” says Kiang. 


tus. shared on the way to the 
April Softcon software show in 
Atlanta. 

“The users will be happy. 
Lotus is happy, and I'm pretty 
sure I'll be happy." says 
Bricklin. Both Bricklin and 
Software Arts co-founder and 
vice-chairman Robert Frank- 
ston will join the Lotus software 
development team. Lotus will 
distribute Software Arts soft- 
ware products along with its 
own software through Lotus's 
regular dealer channels. 

“It looks like the big fish arc 
buying the little fish.” says Joe 
Harmon, vice president of mer- 
chandising at the Dallas-based 
Compushop. the chain of 53 re- 
tail computer stores that was it- 
self recently acquired by Bell 
Atlantic. 


Lotus, Software Arts 
In Spreadsheet Magw 



referring to an April 5 commu- 
nication stating that Lotus in- 
tends to pursue the matter to its 
fullest legal remedy. “We do 
believe in freedom of the press. 
But copyright laws exist for a 
purpose: to protect original 
work. We want to protect our 
property, we aren't interfering 
with anyone's freedom of ex- 
pression." ■ 


Whole Lotta Shakin* 

This shakeout theme was reit- 
erated by Sy Merrin. president 
of Computerworks in Westport. 
Conn. “We're looking at a 
trend.” he said. “Most of the 
software companies can't make 
it on their own. You can't just 
be a good product anymore. 
You have to be very big to pro- 
vide marketing and support. I 
expect to sec a lot of mergers. 
Even if they don't take the soft- 
ware. they'll take the talent.” 

Another notable corporate 
acquisition took place on the 
West Coast, where Ashton-Tate 
bought Forefront Corporation 
of Sunnyvale. Calif. Ashton- 
Tate has had an interest in Fore- 
front since August 1983. Fore- 
front is the developer of 
Framework, which Ashton- 
Tate bought and has marketed 
sinceJuly of 1984. Ashton-Tate 
has now acquired the entire 
company. Forefront's offices, 
will remain in Sunnyvale. 

— By Virginia Dudek 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE 11, 1985 


35 


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CIRCLE 290 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC NEWS 


NEWS IN BRIEF by JANE MINTZER 


BellAtlmtic Plugs Computers m m m m Bcll Atlan- 
tic is entering the computer specialty retail market by acquiring 
CompuShop, a Dallas-based computer specialty store. 

“We are very pleased with the acquisition and with its long-term 
potential." says CompuShop corporate secretary. Bill Chambers. 

Alice Brown, vice-president of the information services firm Fu- 
ture Computing. Inc. , says that the acquisition by Bell Atlantic 
comes at a key time. "Just when the market is open to new strate- 
gies, CompuShop will have the resources to expand into new re- 
gions and pursue selected vertical markets." 

CompuShop currently has 55 stores, but Chambers says 
CompuShop will have over 200 stores nationwide by 1986. 

Benefits of the PC PImi . . . m Insurance giant Met- 
ropolitan Life has designed a computer-based MetLife SHOW- 
CASE Communications Service. Through interactive computer ter- 
minals, employees get informa- 
tion about company benefits as 
well as individual benefit op- 
tions. 

A unique feature of SHOW - 
CASE is its forecasting capabili- 
ties. For example, with SHOW- 
CASE, you can calculate your 
net weekly pay depending upon 
what savings plan you use and il- 
lustrate the rate of growth of the 
savings plan depending upon 
how much of your salary you are 
depositing to the account. 

Metropolitan will provide an 
individually designed software 
system based on the needs of 
the company requesting the sys- 
tem. The system runs on an XT 
with an easy-to-use keyboard 
designed by Telecomfort. Inc. 
According to Pamela A. Keeler, the head of the advanced benefits 
communications department, the computer terminals arc placed in 
kiosks with only the keyboard in easy reach of the employee. 

For more information on setting up a SHOWCASE system, con- 
tact Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. at One Madison Ave. . Area 
3E, New York. NY 10010. (800) 847-8285. 

IBM Sunendets New Recruit m m m m IBM hUS 

agreed to sell the military computer division of its Rolm Corp. to the 
Loral Corporation, a military contractor, for about SlOO million. 

Last year, IBM announced its intention to acquire Rolm. a tele- 
communications equipment manufacturer. The Justice Department 
reviewed the sale for possible anti-trust violations and determined 
that Rolm's military-specific division would overlap with IBM's 
existing Federal Systems Division, which sells computers to the 
government. IBM agreed to sell that part of Rolm. and in early April 
the deal with Loral was announced. 

Congress Axes Corrgruter Log . . m m Both houses 

of Congress have voted overwhelmingly to repeal the current tax 
law that allows you to deduct a home computer as a business ex- 
pense only if you can prove that it is used for business purposes at 
least 50 percent of the time. 

Presently, the IRS regulation that went into effect on January I . 
1985, states that to prove this percentage, you must keep "adequate 
contemporaneous records" of the time and purpose of computer 
use. The legislation repealing the rule is being reviewed by a joint 
Senate-House committee. 


Lotus Blossoms Out . . . m In another move to expand 

beyond its known forte as a developer of business and professional 
software, Lotus Development Corporation has just formed a new 
engineering and scientific products division (ESPD). The new divi- 
sion will address the analytical and task-oriented computing needs 
of engineers and scientists. 

Sandra Gunn will head the 
new division. She is being pro- 
moted from director of market- 
ing services to vice president. 

Working with her is Glenn 
Patch, former director of new 
technology and product devel- 
opment at Interactive Data 
Corp. Patch will be the ESPD’s 
director of product planning and 
development. 

The division is looking to 
other companies to assist it in its 
new ventures. "Lotus has al- 
ready begun marketing efforts 
by working with other develop- 
ers. manufacturers, and vendors 
who currently support engineering and scientific computer users," 
says Gunn. The first product that the new ESPD will market is TK! 
Solver, the equation-solving program for engineers and scientists 
developed by Software Arts, a company Lotus recently acquired. 

Tough Compatible . . . « Action Instruments, Inc., has 

introduced what they are calling the first IBM compatible 
diskless computer for remote, harsh environments. The BC-10 is 
designed with a bubble memory card that emulates the perfor- 
mance and features of a hard disk. The cards arc available with 
either 1 28K or 5 1 2 K bytes of user memory . and up to four cards 
(2 megabytes) can be installed. The CPU card also includes up to 
256K of RAM . Data can be transferred to the bubble memory via 





Action Instrument's diskless BC-IO is built to weather adverse conditions. 


an IBM PC serial link, a portable floppy drive or by exchanging 
or adding cards. 

Prices start at $2295 for the basic system. Initial deliveries are 
scheduled for late summer. Further information can be obtained by 
contacting Action Instruments. 8601 Aero Drive. San Diego. Cal. 
92123. Their telephone number is (619) 279-5726. ■ 



A SHOWCASE computer Kiosk. 



PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


37 





PC NEWS 


Bortanl’sPhil^ltilm 
of ^ture Slock 



BY VINCENT PUGLIA 

NEW YORK— At an April 10 
conference held here. Philippe 
Kahn, head of Borland Interna- 
tional, preannounced his com- 
pany's intentions to market a 
new Sidekick Plus program as 
well as a number of program- 
ming languages. The projected 
delivery date for Sidekick Plus 
is July or August . Kahn also im- 
plied that Borland will release 
several other new products and 
has been toying with the idea of 
still more, the most notable of 
which is a three-dimensional 
spreadsheet. In all. Borland ex- 
pects to have from ten to fifteen 
new products on the market by 
the end of the year. 

Sidekick Plus will not be just 
an enhanced Sidekick. Accord- 
ing to Kahn. "Sidekick Plus is 
to Sidekick what Symphony 
should have been to h2-3." 
Nor will Sidekick owners need 
to plunk down the full amount 
for the new version. Kahn 
promises. A reasonable upgrade 
policy for registered Sidekick 
owners will be available. “Bor- 
land is not in the business of 
overcharging its customers," 
he says 

In addition to the features 
found in its predecessor. Side- 
kick Pius will include a capabili- 
ty that allows you to create your 
own Sidekick. No longer will 
you be limited to one notepad, 
or. as it is now being called, 
thoughtpad. You will be able to 
configure as many as ten. The 


new product will provide a win- 
dow manager that allows you to 
partition your applications into 
at lea.st fifteen areas: a business 
calculator, an IRS log system 
for tax purpo.ses (If the IRS rul- 
ing on logging personal com- 
puter use is still being enforced 
at shipping time), and a number 
of DOS filers. Among Sidekick 
Plus's other features are built-in 
telecommunications and true 
text reformatting and blocking 
capabilities. 

On top of that. Sidekick Plus 
will include two advanced fea- 
tures that Kahn believes most 
people would consider impossi- 
ble in such a system. A clue: one 
of those features will be a great 
aid when dealing with Dow 
Jones or CompuServe. 

Speculator's Market 

Kahn never actually stated 
what those two features would 
be. thus encouraging specula- 
tion. Based on other things he 
said, observers were predicting 
that one of the features will be a 
multitasking capability for us- 
ing electronic mail. In essence, 
this feature should permit users 
to receive and send mail while 
still working with other soft- 
ware applications. Speculation 
on the other feature ran from 
prediction of a text scanner for 
finding information quickly to a 
capability for creating ad-hoc 
databases as well as providing 
automatic transfer of data be- 
tween Sidekick Pius's databases 
and outside databases. 


Also expected to be released 
by Borland before the end of the 
year are a number of program- 
ming languages. Among them 
are C. ADA. Modula2. assem- 
bly. and BASIC. Each imple- 
mentation is expected to offer 
the same high quality as 
Borland's popular Turbo Pascal 
package. 

Gee! 3-D 

The three-dimensional 
spreadsheet was never formally 
announced by Kahn. However, 
it was plain that he is very 
strongly considering such a 
product. When asked whether 
the product would be a clone of 
Lotus’s 1-2-3, he said. "Bor- 
land is not doing a Lotus clone. 
We never make clones of any 
type." He said he would con- 
sider bringing out a spreadsheet 
program if he could correct 
many of the faults found in cur- 
rent packages as well as offer 
new innovations. 

As an example, he suggested 
a spreadsheet that had only three 


active cells. This proposed 
product, then, would recalcu- 
late and save only those three 
cells rather than the entire 
10.000. He stated it should be 
viewed as if it were a Ruble's 
Cube, thus implying three-di- 
mensional capabilities. 

LAN Plans 

Some of the other products 
Borland is considering will 
probably be configured for the 
IBM Network system. As Kahn 
noted. Borland likes to create 
tools that it can use. and since it 
is installing a local area net- 
work. it makes sense to think in 
terms of software that can take 
advantage of a LAN. 

Kahn stated that Borland will 
continue with its present policy 
of selling software without copy 
protection. He feels that a copy 
protection scheme is "a tax on 
honesty." and that it is like go- 
ing into "a grocery store, and. 
because there are some shoplift- 
ers. you get searched when you 
go out." ■ 


A SixPack and a Sidekick to Go 


SAN JOSE. Calif.— From 
now on. when you pick up a 
six pack, you’ll get a sidekick 
as well. AST Research has en- 
tered into an arrangement with 
Borland International, pub- 
lishers of Sidekick, to include 
that desk management pro- 
gram with its SixPackPlus 
multifunction board. 

SixPackPlus. retails for 
$395 and includes memory 
expansion up to 384K. serial 
and parallel ports, a clock, and 
print-spooling capabilities. 
AST estimates that 400.000 
boards arc in use. The 
noncopy-protccicd version of 
Sidekick, to be included in the 
package, retails for $84.95. 
Customers purchasing Six- 
PackPlus boards currently in 
inventory will be able to get a 
copy of Sidekick by demon- 
strating proof of purchase. 

Tim Mahoney, vice-presi- 
dent of maketing and sales for 
Tecmar in Cleveland, another 
major manufacturer of expan- 
sion boards, called the move 
"good strategy." pointing out 


that Tecmar has always pack- 
aged software with its multi- 
function boards. 

Other competitors dis- 
missed the move. "Our expe- 
rience is that bundling soft- 
ware and hardware doesn't 
work." said Michael Zachan. 
director of product marketing 
for Persyst in Irvine. Calif, 
"People buy hardware and 
software separately. We're 
not too concerned about this. ' ’ 

"There always has been a 
trend to throw software in with 
hardware." says Quadram 
president Leland Strange. "I 
don’t know how successful 
this has been. I think that it 
tends to devalue the .software 
because the customer thinks 
that because it’s offered for 
free it isn’t worth anything. 
But there are advantages to 
Sidekick, it’s a good prod- 
uct." 

Strange said Quadram. in 
Norcross. Ga,. had noplan.s to 
bundle software with its new 
line of multifunction boards. 

— By Charles Berman! 


38 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 





with Maynard’s 
lyansport™ — the 
Original Portable 
Hard Drive! 

Now you can leave that 
heavy "portable” com- 
puter on the desk where 
it belongs and carry up 
to 20MB of data be- 
tween home and office. 
Transporf” comes with 
easy-release cable and 
convenient carrying han- 
dle. Call or write today 
for product specifics. 

Your Assurance 
of Quality: 

• plated media, double 
shock-mounted drive 

• extensively tested against 
rigorous performance 
standards 

• backed by industry- 
leading 1-year warranty 

Available in 10MB or 20MB. 

Purchase your T ransport'" 
and receive a carrying case at 
no cost (limited time offer). 

SERVICE CARul 


IciHClE 159 ON READER 


LEAVE THE COMPUTER 
TAKE THE DRIVE! 




Think about it...wliat you need 




OUR NAME SAYS IT ALL . . . 

Applied Computer Products. The 
key word is “Applied.” It says we 
take your business computer 
application seriously and provide a 
kind of service you just cannot get 
from most other telemarketing firms. 

You need expert analysis and advice 
on systems, knowledgeable recom- 
mendations for applying the right 
equipment to solve your business 
problems. You need this service 
before you purchase hardware, soft- 
ware and peripherals. 

And then, you need worry-free oper- 
ation and an ongoing commitment to 
service from a company that's fully 
capable of delivering it! 

CONSULTING . . . Problem solving 
is what sets us apart from the other 
telemarketing and direct retail com- 
panies. We don't just take orders. 


We apply our knowledge and experi- 
ence to analyzing the special needs 
of your business and recommend a 
system of hardware and software 
components best suited to perform 
the job. And we do it in a manner that 
describes our proposal clearly and 
precisely. 

ON-TIME DELIVERY ... We fulfill 
the order accurately and ship on- 
time! We never make promises we 
can't keep. So, you'll be given a 
realistic date for delivery . . . usually 
an early date, because we stock a 
comprehensive inventory. 

COMPETITIVE PRICING . . . Pur- 
chasing in large volume gives us an 
advantage, and we pass that advan- 
tage along to our customers. So, you 
don't have to be concerned about 
paying for our extraordinary service 
It's the thing that gives us a com- 
petitive edge, it's our difference. 


TECHNICAL SUPPORT ... Our 

dedicated support team is available 
to answer any of your questions and 
to provide continuing service after 
your purchase. Installation, setup, 
on-site problem solving and 
exchange or repair service are vital 
parts of our customer commitment. 

WARRANTY AND MAINTENANCE 

... We are a factory authorized 
maintenance center for hundreds of 
products. The warranty on any 
equipment is at least 90 days parts 
and labor. If you encounter any prob- 
lems just call our technical 
department for a prompt resolution. 

A few of the reasons why you should 
call now and learn what a difference 
"Applied" makes when a company 
stakes its name on it. 


Due to space limitations we cannot list all of our more than 700 products so, to find out how competitive we are in a 
fast changing market, call for an up-to-date price quotation on any item. We’il send you a free catalog! 


For competitive prices, prompt ^ Of\£\ OOO 

service and fuii support cail I ~OU\l*'^^sJ~wOOU 

FLOPPY DISK DRIVES i CONTROLLERS 


SPECIALS 

AST Sixpack W/384K 

.$325 

TECMAR Captain W/64K 

. . . $219 

OKIOATA ML-192 w/Plug N Play .... 

....$379 

MICROSOFT Mouse (Bus or Serial) . 

,,..$139 

3M DS/OD Diskettes (Box oMO) . . . . 

$25 

Sidekick (Protected) 

$35 

Supercalc III 

....$189 

Knowledgeman 

$279 

\Nord Perfect 

. . . $245 


CDC 

lTill-H«ijht. 360K. DS/DD $129 

Han-Heigrit. 360K. DS/DD (lor AT Ind. rails) $159 

HaH-Hejjht. 360K. DS/DD $129 

Half-Height, 1 .2MB (AT high capacity replacement) S^ll 

TBAC 

Half-Height, 360K. DS/OD $119 

Half-Height. 640K, DS'QUAO density $169 

Half-Height, 1 2MB (AT high capacity replacement) .. $C^ll 


MAYNARD ELECTRONICS 

Floppy disk controller $115 

w/serial or parallel port SCall 

Sandstar modular disk controller $199 

serial/parallel/ciock/game modules SCall 

hard disk and tape controller modules SCall 

TALL TREE SYSTEMS 
Jdiskette w/‘seriai'parallel/Jformat 

(controls 1 .2 MB high capa^ drives in PC) S219 

JFormat-2. Jet Drive S40 


CONSULTING • MAINTENANCE • TRAINING 






is AppKed Computer Products. 


COMPUTER SYSTEMS 

IBM PC, XT, AT (many configurations avaiiaUe) SCal) 

IBM PC with hard disk ()CT look aJike) $Call 

COMPAQ portaM & COMPAQ PLUS SCall 

COMPAQ portable with hard disk (PLUS look alika).$Call 

CHIPS 

64K. 12aK (AT motherboard). 2S6K SCall 

0067 & 80287 math coprocessors SCall 

HMD DISK & TAPE DRIVES 

ALLOY 

36— 170MB hard disks w/tape backup SCall 

PC— QIC tape. 60MB external backup S1995 

coc 

2Q— 70M8 Internal drive for AT from S1295 

CMI/IBM 

^ MB internal dnve for AT (with hardware) S995 

MMIEQA (BERNOULLi BOX) 

10— 20MB removable hard disks from S2230 

Autobool ROM (self boot on povt«rup) S95 

MAYNARD UCTRONICS 
10. 20, 30MB internal hard disks for PC (available with 
floppy and hard disk control on single board) . from $650 
20. 27. 60MB internal or external tape backup 

(for PC. XT. COMPAQ or AT) from S995 

additional tape controller cards $139 

MICRO SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL 

2SMB external tape unit (plugs into floppy controller) . $899 

SYSQEN 

Image cassette backup (external) S799 

TALL GRASS 

25— 80MB hard disk with 60MB tape backup SCall 

60MB external backup (allows floppy like operation) . . . .SCall 

MULTIFUNCTION BOARDS 

AST RESEARCH 

Sixpack Plus with 64K (up to 384K) w/S. P. C S259 

Mega Plus with 64K (up to 512K) w/S. C . . S269 

Memory Board with mk (up to WK) and clock $239 

I/O Mini or 1/0 Plus H with serial ano dock $139 

ADVANTAGE with 1 28K (up to 3M6) for AT SCail 

serial, parallel, game options from $35 

MAYNARD ELECTRImICS 

Modular Memory Board with 64K (up to 576K) $169 

Modular Mulhfunction Board $69 

serial, parallel, clock, game modules from $35 

hard disk and tape controller modules from SI 39 

ORCHID TECHNOLOGY 

Blossom with 64K (up to 384K) w/S, P. C $239 

optional PC NET piggyback card SCall 

PC TURBO-186 with 128K (up to 640K) $799 

QUADRAM 

Quadboard with 64K (up to 384K) w/S, R C. G S249 

TALL TREE SYSTEMS 

JRAM 2 (up to 2MB for PC) from S189 

serial, parallel, clock modules from S69 

Jdiskette (floppy controller module) $175 

JRAM-AT (memory board for AT) SCall 

TECMAR 

CAPTAIN with 64K (up to 348K) w/S. P. C S219 

JR CAPTAIN with 128K and parallel port $319 

MODEMS 

AST RESEARCH 

REACH (with CROSSTALK XVI. half card) $419 

HAYES 

SMARTMOOEM 1200 (external) $425 

SMARTMODEM 1200B (with SMARTCOM ii) $385 

SMARTMOOEM 2400 (external) SCall 

VENTEL 

PC Modem half card (with Crosstalk XVI) $419 

COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS 

AST RESEARCH 

5251, 3780. SNA, BSC, PCOX SCall 

CXI 

3270 (coax or remote) SCall 

3278/79 plus (coax or remote) SCall 

DCA 

IRMA (3278 terminal emulation) S895 

IRMALINE. IRMAPRINT IRMALEHE. IRMACOM SCall 

MONITORS & TERMINALS 

AMOEK 

VIDEO 310A (monochrome amber) $169 

COLOR 500 (RGB or VCR color, audio) $425 

COLOR 710 (Ultra RES. RGB. Long persistence) SCall 

RRINCETON GRAPHICS (KS) 

NEW MAX-t2E (works w/mono or color card) $189 

HX-12andSR-12 SCall 

TAXAN 

iWjR GB Ultra Res requires PERSYST BoB card) SCall 

124 TTTL (Monochrome, Amber) $149 

KIMTHON 

KT7/PC (IBM Keyboard Compatible lierminal) SCall 


NETWORKS 

AST 

PC NET. PC NET II SCall 

NETWORK DEVELOPMENT CORP 

DNA from $350 

ORCHARD TECHNOLOGY 

PC NET. BLOSSOM PC NET (piggyback) SCall 

3-COM 

ETHERNET SCaJI 

PRINTERS & PLOTTERS 

We carry a full line of tractors, sheet feeders, printwheels, 
ribbons, paper, acoustical enclosures, printer buffers and 
A6 switches for all printers. 

ACP 

Parallel Pnnter Cable 6'. BROTHER. EPSON, OKI, 

CITIZEN. NEC, HR TOSHIBA S25 

CITIZEN 

MSP-10/15/20/25 (18 mo. warranty) from S370 


We carry complete printer line including: 

RX-^ & KM. FX-60 -f & 100 + . J)(-80 color, 

LQ-1500 (letter quality dot matrix). 

Spectrum LX-60 (RX-oO F/T Repixement) SCall 

NLQ Optional Board for RX/FX/JX SCall 

OKIDATA 

We carry the complete printer line including 

Mli2. 93, 83A. 84 (120-200 cps) SCall 

PACEMARK 2410 (350 cps) SCall 

«EW ML-182. 192. 193 (120-160 cps) SCall 

WEWOKlMATE-20 color printer SCall 

Plug ‘N Play option available for all models SCall 


Plug ‘N Pla 

TOWIBA 


P1340(LQ DOT MATRIX. 80 COL) $799 

A/fWPiSI (LQ. 132 COL) SCall 

BROTHER 

HP-15, 25. 35 (17-32 cps. Letter Quality) from $399 

SPINWRITER 2050. 3550. 8850 from $699 

PINWRITER P2. P3, color CP2 and CPS SCall 

NEW ELF (Letter Quality) for IBM $465 

HEWLETT PACKARD 

THINKJET (Inkjet printer. 80 COL) SCall 

LASERJET (Quite. 8 oages/min) SCall 

PLOTTERS: 7470A (2 pen), 7475 (6 pen). 7550 (8 pen) SCall 

VIDEO/GRAPHICS CARDS 

HERCULES 

GRAPHICS CARD (with parallel port) $325 

COLOR CARD (with parallel port) $165 

PARADISE SYST^S 

Modular Graphic Card (color and mono graphics) $299 

Mulbdisplay Card (with parallel port) S339 

AMDEK 

MAI (mono or RGB. w/Halo Graphics and Par. Port) . . . $175 

STB 

Graphics Plus II (color and mono graphics w/Par. Port) S299 

AST RESEARCH 

PREVIEW (Here. Graphics, w/Par Port) $299 

MONOGRAPH PLUS (w/Ser. Par, Clock) $359 

QUADRAM 

QUADCOLOR I and II from $195 

TECMAR 

GRAPHICS MASTER (Hi-Res Graphics Color or Mono) $479 

PERSYST 

BoB (Hi-Res RGB. usew/TAXAN 440) SCall 


POWER SUPPUES 

ACP 

135 Watts PC replacement Pwr Supply $149 

MAYNARD 

35 Watts external clip-on Pwr Supply $129 

BAFT 

200 \Mtts and 400 V^tts uninterruptable Pwr Supply . SCall 

DISKETTES 

MAXELL 

MD2HD High Capacity for AT (box of 10) $49 

SCOTCH 3M 

OS/00 (box of 10) $25 

VERBATIM 

DS/OD (box of 10 plus 2 FREE) $29 

MISCELLANEOUS HARDWARE 

BROOKS 

BNG-6 (surge suppr/noise filter. 6 outlets) $79 

KENSINGTON MICROWARE 

MASTERPIECE (monitor stand/surge suppr.) SCall 

Kwytronlcs K8 5151 keyboard $179 

Moum Systems PC Mouse w/PC Paint $149 

Microsoft Mouse (serial or bus) $139 

Joystick (Kraft or TG) SCall 

1 Omni-Reader SCall 


SOFTWARE 

INTEGRATED/SPREAOSHEETS 

ALPHA Electric Desk $219 

ASHTON TATE Framework. .. .SCall 

LOTUS Syrnphony. 1-2-3 ... SCall 

MICROSOFT Multiplan $129 

MDBS KMan. KPaint. KGraph from $279 

SPI Open Access $399 

PFS: Plan, Write. Report, File from $79 

ACCOUNTINQ 

SORCIM/IUS six accounting modules from $299 

TLB Solomon III twelve accounting modules SCall 

GRAPHICS 

IMSI 4-Pbint Graphics /PC Paintbrush $59/ 79 

MICROSOn Chart $159 

MICROGRAFX PC-Draw $295 

Mouse Systems w/PC Paint $149 

PFS: Graph $89 

DATABASES 

ASHTON TATE dBase II. dBase III $285/379 

COSMOS REVELATION SCall 

INFOCOM CORNERSTONE SCall 

MICRORIM R: Base 4000. Clout, ReportWriter SCall 

MICROSTUF Infoscope $150 

MDBS KMan. KPaint. KGraph. KReport from $279 

PFS: File $89 

WORD PROCESSORS 

MULTIMATE w'speller and tutorial 

WORD PERFECT w/speller 

MICROSOFT Word w/spellef 

VOLKSWRITER Deluxe .... 

WORDSTAR. ProPack, 2000 & 2000 Plus 

THINK TANK (outline processor) 

EASYWRITER U w/speller. mailer 

PROJECT PLANNING 

HARVARD Harvard Project Manager 

MICROSOFT Project 

SORCIM/IUS Super Proieci 

COMMUNICATIONS 

HAYES Smartcom II 

MICROSTUF Crosstalk XVI 

PFS: Access 

LANGUAGES A COMPILERS 

BORLAND Turbo Pascal, lo. Toolbox 

MICROSOFT All Products 

Lattice C compiler. C-Food. Panel Halo, etc 

MORGAN PR()FESSIONAL BASIC .. 

WORTECH Systems dBase II. dBase III Compiler 
UTILITIES 


SCall 

S24S 

$239 
$179 
from $195 

$129 

$195 


..$275 

..$159 

..$199 


..$99 

..$65 


-.$45/35 

SCall 

SCall 

$69 

SCall 


BORLAND Sidekick 

$35 

CENTRAL POINT Cofiy II PC 

FUNK Sideways 

$39 

NORTON Utilities 

$65 

SCall 

ROSESOn Prokey 3.0..., 

SOFTSTYLE Printworks 

$95 

$49 

GAMES/ HOME 

INFOCOM ZORK l/ll/lll. Hitchhikers Guide 

MICROSOFT flight Simulator 

MECA Managing Your Money 

from $27 

$32 

SCall 


OUR POUCY 

• VISA or MC, no surcharge. 

• Pre-approved company check, certified 
check or COD. 

• Allow time for company checks to clear. 

• Volume purchase agreements available. 
Government, corporate and Institutional 
PO's accepted. 

• Call for shipping charges. No additional 
charge for split shipments. 

• Full warranties, up to 5 years on many 

products. 

• Orders subject to availability. Prices 
subject to change without notice. 

For competitive prices, prompt 
service and full support call 

1 - 800 - 223-3860 

C IRCLE 12 9 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

APPLIED COMPUTER 
PRODUCTS, INC. 

1633 Flepublic Road 
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 



HARDWARE 


PERIPHERALS 


SOFTWARE 



< f; ■ ; ',!■ 1 ■ ,,v. /’VJ 


i-lr’* ' ' 4 




If BY THE^EAR^OpOrTtlEWORLD 
Ib^iWGATCH'UP mm THE WAY 

CompuServes Electronic 
LetsyoiiShop-TOday ■ 


- ; .MT^ .j 


Presenting the computer®^" 
shopping service that delivers 
discount prices, name-brand 
merchan^se, and in-depth 
product information. 


To make your computer even more 
useful, join CompuServe and shop in 
our Electronic Mall. Easy enough for 
beginners, it’s open 24 hours a day. 

7 days a week. And it offers a wide range 
of goods and services from nationally 
known stores and businesses including 
Bloomingdale's, Waldenbooks, American 
Express and Commodore. 

CompuServe’s Electronic Mall ™ lets 
you shop at your convenience in all 
these departments; 

The Auto Shop, Book Bazaar. Finan- 
cial Mart, Leisure Center, Merchandise 


Mart Newsstand, On-line Connection, Per- 
sonal Computer Store, Record Emporium, 
Specialty Boutique and T ravel Agency. 


Take the CompuServe Electronic 

Mall 15-Muiute Comparison Test. 

Whal you can do in 15 minutes 

shopping the Electronic Mall way. 

• Access descriptions of the latest in 
computer printers, for instance. 

• Pick one and enter the order 
command. 

• Check complete descriptions of 
places to stay on your next vacation. 

• Pick several and request travel 
brochures. 

• Access a department store catalog 
and pick out a wine rack, tools, 
toys. ..anything! 

• Place your order. 

What you can do in 15 minutes shop- 
ping the old way 

• Round up the family and get In 
the car. 


The Electroiiic Mall— A Valuable 
Addition to the Vast World of 
CompuServe. 

CompuServe Information Services 
bring you information, entertainment, 
personal communications and more. 

You can access CompuServe with 
almost any computer and modem, 
terminal or communicating word 
processor. 

To buy a CompuServe Subscription 
Kit, see your nearest computer dealer. 
To receive our informative brochure, or 
to order direct call or write: 

CompuServe 

Information Services. P.O. Box 20212, 

5000 Arlington Centre Blvd., Columbus. OH 43220 

800 - 848-8199 

In Ohio call 614-457-0602 


The EtecTronic Mall is a sMvire of CompuServe Inc and L M Berry & Company. 


An H & H Block Company 


CIRCLE 226 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC NEWS 


Five New Programs Give 
PCs the Personai Touch 


THE SHORT REPORT 


BYPHILWISWELL 

A word processor may be a 
wonderful tool — it helps chum 
out more documents in less 
time — but it doesn't necessar* 
lly improve the quality of your 
writing. RightWriter does. It is 
a “style processor" that ana- 
lyzes documents produced by 
WordStar, Volkswriter, PC- 
Write, EasyWriter. pfs:write, 
Microsoft Word. Perfect Writ- 
er, WordVision. XyWrite. 
EDLIN. and all standard ASCII 
text editors for errors in gram- 
mar. style, usage, spelling, and 
punctuation. 

RightWriter (DccisionWare. 
Inc., 4030 Gulf of Mexico 
Drive, Longboat Key, FL 
33548; for PCs. XTs. and 
compatibles; $75 plus S3 han- 
dling; requires 96K RAM . DOS 
1 .0 or later) has just one com- 
mand. the wordR/G/fT. Forex- 
ample. I typed the first para- 
graph from The Sun Also Rises 
into WordStar, saved it as 
HMINGWAY.WS, exited 
WordStar, typed RIGHT 
HMINGWAY.WS. and wailed 
30 seconds. A screen summary 
reported. “Readers need a 7th 
grade level of education; 
strength of delivery could be 
improved; the writing is com- 
plex and difficult to read; and 
many adverbs are being used." 
RightWriter also created a file 
called HMINGWAY.OUT. a 
“marked up" copy containing 
specific comments — such as 
“Long sentence. 34 words." 
or “Weak. Consider re- 
phrasing . ' ' — that 1 could call up 
and edit with WordStar or the 
appropriate DOS commands. 
The writer is free to ignore or in- 
corporate the program’s sugges- 
tions. Hemingway would ob- 
ject, but RightWriter is an idea 
whose time is long overdue. 

PC-Desk 

If you equate freeware with 
slipshod programming. PC- 
Desk will change your mind. 


PC-Desk (Software Studios. 
Inc.. 8516 Sugarbush. Annan- 
dale. VA 22003; for PCs. XTs. 
ATs. and compatibles; $25 ; re- 
quires 64K RAM. DOS 2..v) has 
the necessary features — clock, 
appointment calendar, address 
book. letter processor, tele- 
phone directory, phone dialer, 
and calculator — and all are ex- 
tremely easy to use in this menu- 
driven system. The active file 
(about 2(X) clients) is kept in 
RAM . But the key word for suc- 
cess with PC-Desk is conve- 
nience. Forexample. fromacli- 
ent's screen record you can send 
him a stock letter or have your 


modem call him with a single 
keystroke. PC-Desk prints di- 
rectories. labels, envelopes . and 
letters with mail merge abilities. 

The Drawing Tablet 

A major feature missing from 
desk organizer software is 
graphics — the ability to draw on 
screen and print the results to 
accompany text. The Drawing 
Tablet is particularly well suited 
for hard copy graphics because 
it uses the highest resolution 
available, 640 X 200 pixels, 
and prints in three sizes, though 
usable printers arc limited 
to Epsons. Geminis. and 
compatibles. 

The Drawing Tablet is a 
menu-driven, two-color me- 
chanical drawing program that 
can be mastered by artistic bores 


like myself in one evening. 
Commands include four intensi- 
ties and 100 brush sizes for 
drawing lines, circles, arcs, and 
rectangles, plus fill/copy/movc 
commands. A library of flow- 
chart symbols and a blank li- 
brary are provided for cut-and- 
pastc operations. Cursor keys 
must be used for input. Still, it is 
very easy to create precise geo- 
metric figures because cursor xa’ 
coordinates are always on 
screen. Using the coordinates to 
closely approximate points on a 
graph, you can easily fudge 
business graphics. The Drawing 
Tablet (K Software House. 


Rt.#2. Box 83BI. Unionville. 
TN 37180; for PCs. XTs. ATs. 
and compatibles; $49.95 plus 
$3 handling; requires I92K 
RAM, DOS 2..t) also allows 
you to change foreground colors 
to imitate a monochrome VDT. 

Career Directions 

I didn't think I'd enjoy Ca- 
reer Directions — sort of a com- 
puterized high-school guidance 
counselor — but after complel- j 
ing the program. I realized it ; 
had done a better, more-thor- ' 
ough job than my high-school ' 
guidance counselor did. Among ; 
the two dozen careers it suggest- i 
cd I investigate were: Colum- | 
nist/Commentator, News- r 
writer. Reporter. Geographer. { 
Anthropologist, and Horse I 
Trainer. And you don’t have to i 



be 1 8 years old: those seeking a 
job change will also benefit 
from Career Directions (Sys- 
tems Software Associates, Inc.. 
723 Kanawha Blvd. E., 
Charleston, WV 25301; for the 
PC. XT, and PCjr; $89 plus 10 
percent charges; requires 64K 
RAM. DOS I. lor later). 

First, the program conducts a 
question-ond-answer session on 
the type of work you enjoy, your 
interests, skills, and abilities, 
time you are willing to train, and 
so forth. Then it searches the 
database of 460 jobs, from Able 
Seaman to Zoologist, flagging 
those that match your criteria 
and printing a list. From the list, 
you can look up and print infor- 
mation on selected jobs. Final- 
ly, Career Directions advises 
you on whether to enter college, 
vocational school, or the job 
market, and prints forms to get 
you started. 

How often do you find your- 
self thumbing through the DOS 
manual in the middle of a 
project? And how often do you 
find what you’re looking for 
within a few seconds? If your 
answers are “frequently" and 
“never," hire a private tutor. 
Can’t afford one? Check out Ol^ 
(HyperGraphics Corp.. 308 
Carroll Blvd.. Denton. TX 
76201; for PCs. XTs, ATs, and 
compatibles; $69.95 plus $3 
handling; requires 256K RAM. 
DOS 2.x, and color/graphics 
adapter). 

01^ stands for On-Line Ency- 
clopedia. a DOS 2.x tutorial/ 
on-line help facility that is just 
what many beginner-to-inter- 
mediate DOS users need. When 
active, 01^ resides in RAM. 
waiting for the Alt-O signal to 
take over the screen from what- 
ever application you have run- 
ning. which makes consid- 
erably more valuable than 
“DOS-on-a-disk" programs. 
You can page through the entire 
tutorial, covering DOS from 
“backslash" to “wild card" 
with text, graphics, and anima- 
tion. Or you can look up infor- 
mation directly — either DOS 
commands or general subjects. 
When you find what you need , a 
single key brings back your 
original application. A very, 
very helpful program . ■ 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


43 






PC NEWS 


44 


EDITED BY VIRGINIA DUDEK 


PC Symposium 


Ask the experts. 

That, in a nutshell, was what 
PC Magazine did when we re- 
cently posed our PC Sympo- 
sium questions to over 100 lead- 
ers in the microcomputer 
industry. 

From time to tinte we will be 
publishing predictions. f(M^a.sts 
and just-plain-lucky guesses 
from those people most directly 
involved in developing, manu- 
facturing and selling products for 
PCs. These experts will be pro- 
viding sage answers to such ques- 
tions as: 

What will your computer sys- 
tem be like in five years? 

Will hardware and software 
prices fall dramatically, and. if 
so. when? 

Will there ever be a substan- 
tial home computer market? 

What unheralded software or 
hardware product now on the 
market is deserving of becoming 
the next / -2-3 or WordStar ? 

In this installment. PC Mag- 
azine posed the question: “What 
is the biggest area of opportunity 
in the computer industry today?'* 



Saji Qureshey, President 
AST Research, Inc. 
Irvine, CA 


^ A Many tasks are still 
• • handled as they were in 
the Stone Age. such as setting 
up meetings and telephone mes- 
saging. All this can be done on 
computers tixlay. but we need 
integrated software and educa- 
tion for users. To do this, we 
need applications software and 
communications stan- m M 

dards. 7 7 


Bill Krause, President 
3Com Corp. 
Mountain View, CA 


^ A The most significant 
■ ■ area of growth in the 
PC industry over the next 3 to 4 
years will be network servers. 
There is currently very little 
competition in that field. Sec- 
ond. personal communication 
software, like muppets (multi- 
user personal productivity 
tools), an area of software made 
possible by local networks, will 
be to LANs what VisiCalc was 
to standalone PCs. Third. I see 
integration of the telephone into 
PC telephony applications. But 
more breakthroughs M a 
will be required. 7 7 


Steve Westling, Manager 
ComputerLand 
Tallahassee East, FL 


^ ^ Visual data and voice 
■ ■ communications from a 
computer on your desktop may 
be a reality in the next 2 years. 
Also available will be portable 
mass storage. You'll be able to 
carry 10 megabytes in M iV 
your briefcase. 7 7 


JakeGeller, Ph.D, Chairman 
Fox & Geller, Inc. 
Elmwood Park, NJ 


^ ^ 1 think there's still a lot 
* ® to be done to make it 
easier for humans to communi- 
cate and be pnxluctive 
with computers. 


55 


Dick Carroll, Manager 
ComputerLand 
Des Moines, I A 




Computers are not in- 
tended to be single-user 


systems, even though they are 
called “personal computers.' 
People want to make use of 
what PCs were intended for. 
Networking will bridge the gap 
we faced 5 years ago. which 
was the inability to effectively 
use the amount of infor- 
mation compiled. 


55 



Richard Wolf son, President 
Harvard Software » Inc. 
Littleton, MA 


^ A Success will come to 
m m whomever can make 
real progress in convincing 
management that computers are 
management productivity tools. 
Small business is another area 
that needs to be con- m m 
vinced. 7 7 


Jim Dunne, Manager 
Businessland 
Tampa, FL 


^ ^ There are not a lot of 
■ ■ people doing much 
with networking right now. 
Those who address it will carve 
a share of the market a M 
forthem.selves. 7 7 


Daniel Kaneshiro, Owner 
ComputerLand 
Oahu, HI 



training of people who have or 
plan to get computers. This is 
inherent in the fact that major 
retailers have focused on busi- 
ness sales and now see the need 


to train for home use. With the 
possibility of hooking into the 
cable network, this is 
very cost effective. 


55 


James Robb, Store Manager 
Entre 

Charlotte, NC 


^ ^ 1 think most small busi- 
• ® nesses don’t have com- 
puters because they are intimidat- 
ed by them. When they become 
simpler, people will want to use 
them. When I was in high school, 
they taught typing. And I'm sure 
that before that, people were 
afraid of typewriters. It's going to 
take that kind of education to 
make people feel com- 
fortable. 


55 


James Busby, President 
DataSouth Computer Corp. 
Charlotte, NC 


jf A I think the cream has 
* ■ been skimmed off the 
top of general computer appli- 
cations. Now people need to 
focus on a specific market, 
making computers easy, eco- 
nomical, and convenient for a 
particular user. From time to 
time, you’ll see improvements 
in technology, but no quantum 
breakthrough; that’s not the ma- 
jor problem in the industry. We 
must make the custom- 
er feel comfortable. 


55 


Martin L. Dean, Chairman 
Summa Technologies 
Beaverton, OR 


^ ^ I am very disturbed at 
■ ® what I see happening in 
the software industry. People 
keep reinventing the same prod- 
ucts. New products are what 
keep this industry exciting and 
growing. Manufacturers are 
making better, easier-to-use 
products but not new ones. The 
result is that the con- m m 
sumer is getting bored. 7 7 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE M. 1985 






Don Bryson, Vice-President 
Mouse Systems Corp. 
Santa Clara, CA 


you’ll be able lo do wilh the PC ; 
spreadsheets, memory. 0 0 
graphics. ^ ^ 


✓ ^ In the immediate future. 
■ • pixxJucls will be easier 
for the first-time user to learn. 
The mouse is a good example. 
You can just sit down and use it 
immediately. The combination 
of mouse and software will fully 
utilize the plain style of 0 0 
interface. ^ ^ 



Tim Cloonan, Manager 
Personal Computer Center 
Overland Park, KS 


^ ^ I think you’ll .see more 
■ • laser technology incor- 
porated into less-expensive 
printers. Inkjet printers m m 
will be outdated. ^ ^ 


Don Roth, President 
Percom Data Corp. 
Dallas, TX 


^ ^ The cost of mass stor- 
0 0 age should come 
down. All computer co.sts will 
be coming down. 1 think 
you’re going to see a slow re- 
finement of the exist- m m 
ing technology. 7 ^ 


Bill Barrar, Vice-President 
Whitesmiths, Ltd. 
Concord, MA 


A ^ We have canceled all 
■ 0 future COMDEX 
shows and have shifted our fo- 
cus to the PC retail marketplace. 
We feel that real success will 
come in finding and exploiting 
specialized niches rather than in 
the mass marketplace, gearing 
toward areas where ^^0 0 
have advantages. ^ ^ 


John Rice, President 
Entre 

Annapolis, MD 


Tom Hall, Vice-President 
Houston Instrument, 
Austin, TX 


^ ^ I expect the majority of 
0 0 breakthroughs to occur 
in software rather than hard- 
ware. And they will be broad- 
based rather than specific. We 
haven’t scratched the surface of 
providing users with 
software they need 


55 


Josh Gregory, Sales Manager 
MetasoftCorp. 
Chandler, AZ 




Anything you can do 
with the mainframe. 


^ ^ The next big break- 
• 0 through is going to be 
in mass storage — those little la- 
ser disks that store hundreds of 
thousands of megabytes. The 
maturity of. or ability to use op- 
tical disks and laser disks, as op- 
posed to hard disks, is 0 0 
the next major effect . ^ 7 


Gary Betty, Director, 
Marketing and Sales 
Hayes Microcomputer 
Norcross, GA 


^ A Communications is the 
0 0 largest growth area, es- 
pecially in local area networks 
and communications software 
modems. There are no major 


breakthroughs, but there are 
continual advancements. On the 
marketing side, people need to 
change and react to computers, 
and vendors need to talk to con- 
sumers rather than simply look 
for applications for new or ex- 
isting technology. 1985 should 
see some very aggres- m m 
sive marketing. 7 ^ 


puters in the PC. PC-XT. and 
soon the AT classes. A lot of 
machines are now making their 
way into major corporations and 
smaller businesses. There is a 
much broader requirement for 
information. We’ve reached a 
threshold where machines need 
to communicate with 
each other. 


55 


William Jennings, Owner 
Entre 

Portland, ME 


^ ^ Ithink we’ll see airtraf- 
0 0 fic control for Reagan’s 
‘star wars” technology. No. 
seriously, the biggest area is in 
coming up with an effective 
means of protecting software, 
not just letting people steal pro- 
grams. Ifthis is prevented, there 
would be enough profits to 
come up with exciting 0 0 
new products. ^ ^ 



Stephen Shapiro, Manager 
Businessland 
Rockville, MD 


Jim Stepahin, Manager 
Entre 

Charleston, SC 


A A The biggest area of op- 
0 0 portunity is in voice ac- 
tivation. Companies arc coming 
out with keyboards that can rec- 
ognize up to 100 words. Even- 
tually. we'll be able to use 
microphones instead of 0 0 
keyboards. ^ 7 


A ^ It will be a challenge to 
0 0 the industry (and I think 
Apple meets this challenge very 
well) to make their machines 
very user-friendly, fun, and not 
so complicated or in- y 


timidating. 


Richard Rabins, President 
Alpha Software Corp. 
Burlington, MA 



Edward Currie, President 
Lifeboat Assoc. 

New York, NY 


£6 


We’ve reached a criti- 
cal mass of microcom- 


^ The most successful 
0 0 marketing efforts will 
be directed toward finding out 
what people want and need rath- 
er than coming up with m m 
the technology first . ^ ^ 


Bill Jordan, Manager 
ComputerLand 
Orem, UT 


^ ^ When voice recognition 
0 0 is perfected, you will be 
able to tell the oven how long to 
cook, or you could just m m 
dictate a letter. ^ ^ 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


45 







If you’re looking for a 
way to get more out of 
your personal computer, 
look no further. 



The new A-40 is Canon's first 
full feature impact matrix printer 
specially designed for personal 
computers using IBM compatible 
software. 

Its wide range of functions 
makes it the economical high- 
performance printer for anyone 
who wants to enhance his PC, be it 
at home or in the office. 

The A-40 comes equipped with 
IBM graphics printer character set 
2, and has the same escape codes 
as the IBM graphics printer. The net 
result is powerful adaptability and 
compatibility in one machine— word 
processing witfi the right touches in 
several essential languages and 
support for IBM PC application 
programs. 

And though the A-40 is compact 
enough for any home or office, it’s 
capable of handling almost any size 
job you give it. 

•Dl965Car>onUSA.lnc 

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In its Draft mode (11 x 9 dot 
matrix), the A-40 operates at a 
rapid 140 cps. In the Near-Letter- 
Quality mode, it produces each 
diaracter with a sharp 23 x 18 dot 
matrix at 27 cps ... in 3 kinds of 
^aphic image printing. And it does 
it all very quietly. 

The A-40 is designed to function 
v/ith fanfold, single sheet, and 
multipart copy paper. And because 
it has an 8-bit parallel interface 
that's PC compatible, this new 
impact matrix printer from Canon 
can start enhancing your PC from 
the very first moment you install it. 

So when you decide it's time 
to get more out of your personal 
computer, look no further than 
the new (ianon A-40 impact 
matrix printer. 

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The SR-12 super- 
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SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG SCHTICK. 

To lead an audience to your conclusions, you need more than strong words. You’ve got to show them 
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You do that with strong, clear graphics. The kind you get from just one graphics package. 
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PC NEWS 


An Appmisal of GEM: 
Diamond or Rhinestone? 


BY STEPHEN MANES 


It's a Macintosh! It's a 
Jackintosh! No. It’s GEM. run- 
ning on your PC! 

Ever since CP/M-86 lost out 
to DOS in the operating-system 
war. Digital Research has been 
hunting for a big new weapon. 
GEM. the Graphics Environ- 
ment Manager, is DR’s entry in 
the hot new user-interface bat- 
tle. which includes such forces 
as IBM’s TopView and Micro- 
soft’s Windows. I used an IBM 
PC equipped with a Kamerman 
hard disk, an IBM Color Moni- 
tor. a Tecmar Graphics Master 
card, and a Microsoft Mouse for 
this first look at Version 1 .0 of 
GEM’S system software, GEM 
Desktop, and a prerelease edi- 
tion of GEM Draw. 

For now. GEM’s strongest 
suit seems to be slick and fast 
graphics software routines that 
more or less emulate the Macin- 
tosh’s much-praised Quick- 
Draw program. Tying into these 
routines can offer real benefits 
to program developers, espe- 
cially those working on those 
new machines that will recog- 
nize GEM’s user interface as 
their standard. 

MaC'dlike 

GEM Desktop, is primarily a 
glitzy Macintosh-like visual 
shell for DOS. Occupying more 
than 1 lOK of RAM, the pro- 
gram doesn’t really add any ca- 
pabilities or functions to DOS: 
no concurrency, no multi-task- 
ing. and no windowing of or 
cutting and pasting between ap- 
plications. 

Boot GEM Desktop, and you 
get a black-on-white high-reso- 
lution screen that looks exactly 
like the one on the Macintosh. 
Menu options occupy the lop of 
this “desk,” and disk and trash 
icons appear down the right- 
hand side. 

The mouse controls an on- 
screen arrow. As with the Macin- 
tosh. one button does everything; 


if your rodent has more than one 
button, only the leftmost one will 
work. Just as in TopView. mas- 
ochists can limp along in GEM 
with just the keyboard: The arrow 
keys move the pointer, the Home 
key serves as the button, and the 
Shft and Ctrl keys provide all the 


extra functions. 

GEM runs from the DOS 
command processor and trans- 
mogrifies DOS commands into 
Mac-like icons and windows. A 
subdirectory becomes a “fold- 
er.” an executable program be- 
comes an “application” icon 
and other files are portrayed as 
“documents.” GEM users 
must master the whole Macin- 
tosh repertoire of mouse 
stunts — pointing, pressing, 
dragging, clicking, double- 
clicking, shift-clicking, and so 
on — and learn how each works 
with icons and windows. 

Want to run a program? 
Move the pointer to its icon, 
double-click the mouse, and 
presto! Want to see what’s in a 
subdirectory? Double-click a 
folder, and a contents window 
“zooms” onto the screen. Want 
to delete a file? Drag it to the 
trash. It’s easy — at first. 

Frustrations and More 

However. GEM generates 
the same frustrations as the 


Macintosh — and then some. 
Like the Mac. GEM’s window- 
ing capabilities only work at the 
operating system command lev- 
el; once you enter an applica- 
tion. you can’t access a directo- 
ry of your current drive. You 
can get at GEM’s alarm clock 


and calculator from an applica- 
tion like GEM Draw, but from a 
standard DOS application, 
these functions are unavailable. 
The Mac’s handy notepad and 
scrapbook, used to transfer data 
between programs, are nowhere 
to be found in GEM. PC users 
accustomed to memory-resident 
desktop programs like SideKick 
and Spotlight are not going to be 
impressed with GEM. 


Like Mac’s Finder. GEM 
Desktop needs to access Its own 
disk files. On a floppy-only sys- 
tem, this accessing requires an- 
noying disk-swapping for even 
the simplest tasks. With a hard 
disk. Desktop demands its own 
path, which can cause trouble 
with programs that insist upon 
other methods. GEM Itself can 
use paths, but only in certain 
narrowly defined ways that lim- 
it the paths' usefulness. 

Once GEM gives control 
over to a DOS application, how- 
ever. it tends to stay out of the 
way. 1 was able to run all of my 
favorites, including a memory- 
resident disk emulator, print 
spooler, and keyboard enhancer 
(loaded prior to GEM), without 
incident. When loaded after 
GEM. SideKick ran with the 
usual video glitches it produces 
with graphics-based programs. 

However, since GEM takes 
over wherever you’d normally 
see a DOS prompt, it can play 
stupid tricks. Run a utility like 
CHKDSK. and the GEM screen 
wipes out DOS’s message be- 
fore you have a chance to read 
it. The only alternative is to se- 
lect “Enter DOS commands” 
from the options menu. This 
choice loads COMMAND.COM 
and lets you work in DOS until 
you type EXIT. 

Peccadilloes 

GEM crashed on my system 
more than once. The program 
also insisted on lining up at the 
very left of the screen, even 
though every DOS application I 
ran was properly centered. 
GEM didn’t bother restoring 
DOS bt)rder colors after it stole 

(continued on page 54) 


Future Facets of GEM 

Other products coming from GEM in the near future include; 

• GEM Draw: a graphics editor with a library of pre- 
designed graphics that retails for S149 ($249 after August 
31.1985). 

• GEM W’ordChart: software for generating fanes text charts 
that retails at SI49 (available July. 1985). 

• GEM Graph: a presentation package for producing a variety 
of charts indifferent graph styles that retails for $199. 

• GEM Collection: an integrated software package that in- 
cludes GEM Desktop, GEM Write (a word prtKCssing program 
developed for GEM by Lifctrce Software Inc.), and GEM Faint 
that retails for $199, In addition. GEM Desktop also be mar- 
keted as a standalone product with a list price of $49.95. 



PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


51 



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Pravraw* Onoraca Card wiptn 94K 
Advanlaga’ Multil Bd lorAT 126K 
VO Piirt II. SA>rCC 
UO Piua II S/P/COQ 
UO Piu» II. 2Srt»/CCAi 
Port Kilt ' tar para, or gama. aa 
MorwOrapnPluf PICC (*or LCKutl 
COMX. NEW 

EconoRAM** Pius seaK » i 

Poard. S4VCOO Faatrak 9 Spodar 
EeonoRAM' KiH 3S4K board 
HAl^AGE (HCWI. 9067 Cb« 

9087 uam Pak (C7»p 6 aoftw 
HAVES. MacK n Joyrarck 
UaCTi III (PC or Jr ) 

HERCULES. Cour Card alpara 
Mono &apn«a Card 
KENSIHOTON. Maaiarpraca' 

PC Savor' Lma Cord wiPitia' 

KEY TRONIC. KB5IS1 SM KayOoard 
KOALA. Spaed Kay Syatam 
Spaod TaoM wTaonviaro 
Koau Pad mi9C Oaa>gn 
MAYNARD. SANO STAR SERIES 
MuKrluneion (6) Card 
M amery Card no RAM 
Mamory Card 25eK 
Floppy Cora Cardiaccapi*3modMati 
Hard Drak l/F ModuM 
Hard Oiak CabW 
Sanal Port Moduia 
Para or Clock Cai Modda aa 
Gama Adaptor Modda 
Mamory Modda OK 
Mamory Modda 256K 


$265 

9 295 9 1 95 
9 ITS 9 129 
I 295 9 23$ 
S 45 9 29 
9 55 9 3$ 
9 245 $ 169 
9 499 9 329 
9 140 9 99 
I SO 9 35 
9 255 9 1 95 
S 1"0 9 63 
9 200 9 115 
9 150 9 69 

S 99 9 79 
t 199 9 139 
9 495 S 399 
9 266 9 205 
9 499 9 399 
9 30 9 27 
9 95 $ 79 
9 59 9 49 
I 49 t 43 


list CONNOr 
PRCE PRICE 

MICROSOFT. MOuaa (lor PCi 9 195 9 1 35 

Sartai lAMsa 9 '95 9 135 

MOUSE SYSTEMS. PC Mousa 4 Pami S 295 9 140 
PARADtSE. ModuM' Grtpnct Card S 395 9 265 
Paraiiai or Sar>ai Pon aa t 95 9 65 

PERSVST. HEW 

PCrMono Board w/para pen 9 250 9 195 
PCrCoioi Grapnics Bd MAgra pan ft VF $ 244 $ 1 76 
BOB Board Colof Adaptr ''■rat 9 595 $ 465 
OUAORAM. 

Quadboerd 64K W 3e4K s/picog $245 

Ouadboara.no RAM aipand lo 364K 5 295 9 225 
Ouadboard 2S6K to 384K. S/P/CC $ 395 9 29S 
Ouadboard 364K (idl) S/P/CC/Q S 795 9 4 95 
Ouadboard II. no RAM to 256K 9 295 5 215 

Ouadboard M. 64K to 2S6K 2SXC I 395 9 265 
Ouadboard H. 256K 2SAX 9 595 $ 395 

Quad 512 • 54K «/tanai pon t 325 9 245 
S 295 9 195 
9 275 9 199 
I 34$ 9 269 
11195 91050 
92295 91545 
91995 91745 
9 495 9 385 
5 645 9 495 
9 45 $ 29 
9 400 $ 279 


* * FOR YOUR PC JR * * 


KEY TRONIC. KB5151 Jr Kayboard t 2K $ 195 
Humane Kaypad 9 100 9 77 

KOALA. Touch TatMi lor Jr I 12$ 9 75 

MKROSOFT. Bootiar i2eK »/Mouaa 1 495 9 339 
MOUSE SYSTEMS. Moum (lor > | $ 195 9 125 

OUAORAM. E>par«on ChaOM t 995 9 540 
Mamory Ekparwon Board (i2*( PCC) 9 275 9 215 
TECMAR. > Capiam 9 395 9 325 


Upgrada Ouadeoior i lo ii ktt 

Ouadvua, board Mono S/P/CC 

Ouad 3278 

Ouadnai Vt 

Ouadnai IX 

Ouadknk 


★ ComX ★ 
EconoRAM Plus - ^ 

$265 

364K MuRifundkMi RAM Board 


EconoRAM* 384K 

Sirigle Furicbon Board 

$195 

VMh F siw ’ ' and Spooer 
FiAy Carr ia ibb i Ta LviHad Maranfy 
YKHi^anOOSI I 20or2 I 
Pnc8sandava4abAivsu0|ecttodange Con 


SOFTWARE FOR YOUR IBM-PC, XT, AT or JR 


BUSINESS 


ASHTON-TATE, Framaworli 
dBasa III 

dBase N. (raq PC-OOS ft 129K) 
ATI, Trammg Programa - larga Hvaniory 
BP1. Gariarai Aectg AR. AP. or PR. aa 
BROOERSUND.BankSl VWaarlPCcrA) 
COEX, T'arwig Programa-UrgtkManiory 
CONTWENTAL. URraMf (PC) 

Tax Advaraaga (PC or Jr ) 

Proparty Managamara (PC) 

DATA TRANS.. Fontni HEW 

OOW JONES, I n vaimara Evaluator 
Markai Managar Phi* 

Markat Anatyw or Markai Mi cr eaeopa 
S praaa Shm Link 
FOX ft OELLER. OuiAcoda IN 
HARVARD. Total Proyact Managar 
HOWARDSOFT. Tax Praparar 65 
KA tor CaMomia 

HUMAN EDGE. Mmd Probar (PC Or Jr | 
Sa lle Eoga or Managamara Edge, aa 
Nagoi‘at>on Edga 

KENStNQTON, Easy Lmk Man Mar^gar 
LIFETREE. Volktwntar Daluxa 
LlVmO VIOEOTEXT, Trunk Tank 
LOTUS. 1-2-3 
Symonony 

MOBS, Knowladgaman 
MECA, Managing Your Money (PC) 
Managing Your Morray Cwtnd^ (Jr) 


UST COMIOT 
PMCt PRICE 
ft 995 9 349 
ft 695 8 359 
$ 495 8 268 
9 75 8 so 
9 59$ 8 M6 
9 80 t 49 
9 70 I 45 
9 195 8 115 
9 70 8 40 

9 495 S 295 
9 125 8 75 
9 149 8 99 

9 249 t 198 
9 295 I 195 
9 495 S 295 
9 295 S 195 
9 125 S 93 
>9 50 8 32 
9 250 8 159 
t 295 8 1 8$ 
1 fS 8 59 
1 295 8 159 
t 195 8 105 
9 495 8 309 
9 995 8 465 
9 500 8 300 
9 195 8 125 
9 199 8 179 


BUSINESS 


BUSINESS 



MICROPRO. WordStar (PC) 

WordStar (Jr) 

WordStar 2000 (copiaDta) 

WordSiar 2000 Piua (copiabia) 
WerdSlar ProftMMnal Plus 
WordStar ProiasaMnai. 4 Pak 
MaVMarga SpatSUr or Slartndax aa 
inleStar Plus ( * Siarburai) 

Correa Star 

MICRORtM. RBasaCtoU 
ExlandaO Rapon Writar 
RBaae Sanaa 4000 (New Varaioni 
MICROSOFT. Spaa 
Mu*«tan (PC or Jr) 

Chan or Pro(aa. aacn 
Word 

MONOGRAM, DCAWI ft Sanaa rnlPaocm 
MULTIMATE. Mu«<maia Var 4 0 
PEACHTREE. Back to Baa«s OL 
Peach Pak (OuAR/AP) 

Peach Taxi 5000 
QUE, U«no 1-24 
i-O-S lor Bueineae 
Uvrtg Symphony 
SAMNA, word Plus 
Word III 

SATELLITE. WordParfaa (PC) 
(WHdPartaa (Jr) 

SOFTW. ARTS. SptMhght 
TK Solver (spaoiy DOS) 


UST CONROY 
amcc PRICE 
9 350 8 189 
S 195 8 115 
9 495 8 295 
9 595 8 325 
9 695 8 395 
f 495 8 265 
9 99 8 54 
9 595 8 315 
9 145 8 77 
9 195 8 139 
9 150 8 95 
t 495 8 2 59 
9 50 8 32 

9 195 8 125 
9 250 8 159 
9 375 8 235 
9 160 8 99 
I 495 8 295 
9 305 8 239 
9 395 8 225 
9 295 8 1 79 
I 1$ 8 12 
9 IS 8 12 
9 20 8 IS 
9 665 8 439 
9 550 8 279 
9 465 8 335 
9 69 8 45 
9 ISO 8 95 
9 399 8 269 


LIST ccmji 
WNCE PRICE 
9 125 8 79 

9 140 8 69 


SOFTWARE PUBL PFS Rapon 
PFSFrta 

PFSWnia . . . .. 

PFS Graph 9 140 8 69 

PFS Plan 9 140 8 69 

PFS Prool or PFS Accau each 9 95 8 59 

SORCIM. SuparCaK HI t 395 8 2 45 

STONEWARE, Advanced DB Maitar 9 NS S 375 

Ti«RNEH.PBraeF»gh(iiMaSo«'7ataAa.t 136 8 89 
WARNER. Oaak Or^tar (PC or Jr) 9 19S 8 125 


BORLAND. Srdakick Or TooRiox aa t 5$ 8 31 
Srdakick (Copiabial (PC or Jr) 9 85 8 50 
Turbo Paacai (PC or Jr) I 70 S 39 

Super Kaye I 70 8 45 

3 Pak (Pascal. Turbo Tut. Toolioa) 9 '05 8 65 
CENTRAL POINT. Copy H PC t 40 9 23 

COMX. Festran' AAUOakemuUIO'tSnMerHQMr 
ForertyPOOOSvFWHCerd UanuDmert I 100 9 59 
OKWTAL RE8 . CP/M-a6' (POXT) I 100 9 64 
CBASiCComp*er(CPW«orFCOOS eeiS 600 9 395 


LIST eOMtOT 
WUCC PRICE 

MICROSTUF. CroaatalkXVMPCorJOS i9S 9 129 
MOUSE SYSTEMS, PC Pamt i 99 9 69 

NORTON. UiabM (14 prgms) 9 100 9 65 

ROSESOFT, Prokay S 130 9 79 

WESTERN UNION. EaayLMi Mail Mngr 9 95 9 59 


HOME & EDUCATIONAL 


BP1, Partonai Acoouramg 9 99 9 63 

CONTINENTAL. HomtAoeeialM (JOS 75 S 59 
Horn# Aecouniara Piua (PC) 9 ISO 9 90 

DOW JONES. Home Budgai 9 '36 9 92 

KOALA. Grapn>ci ExNbaer (Jr) 9 40 9 25 
MONOaiUM.Ooaartft9ania«9orac«i 9 160 9 99 
8CAR80AOUOH.UaMrTypa(PCotJi)S 40 9 2$ 
Your Partonai Nat Wonh 9 lOO 9 63 

SIMON ft SCHUSTER. TypmgTiAorM 9 50 9 33 
PLUS. BPI. CBS, COMPREHENSIVE. DAVIDSON. 


>. eri, W0a. v^narnanerv. 
HARCOURT, PSL CORP 


RECREATIONAL 


OR L0GO66 (CP/M-6 
FUNK SOFTWARE. Srdawayt 
IBM. BASIC Canridga <Jr| 

HAVES. Smancom II (Data Comm ) 
LIFEBOAT. Lanica C 


9 150 9 


0 9 37 


I 75 8 -- 
I '49 8 99 
$ 500 8 250 
9 too 8 50 
MICROSOFT. Macro Ataamcvar 9 i50 S 99 
BASIC Compnar or C Compvar aa 9 $00 8 259 
Butinaw BASIC Compiiar 1 450 8 300 

COBOL Compiiar I 700 8 459 

FORTRAN Compuar 1 350 $ 229 

PASCAL CompMar 9 300 8 1 99 


•■rf 


BLUECHIP. HMonart Barron Ty«o»i.aa 9 
8R00ER8UN0. Large Imartory ki Stock 
ELECTRONIC ARTS. Lagi Ywrewy i> SHci 
HAYDEN. Sargon 111 (Chaae) 9 

■NFOCOM. Large InvaMory In Slock 
Hitchrukar't Quida 9 

Zork I, II. or HI. aa 9 

MICROSOFT. Fligra SanuMor (PC or Jr) 9 
ORIGIN. Ultima III (PC or Jr) 9 

BIERRA/ON-LINC. Ul^ II (PC or Jr ) 9 
SPECTRUM HOLOeVTE. Oato 9 

SPINNAKER. PraadarKe Owtta. Amam 
Fahranhaa. Randatvoua Dragon, aach 9 


60 8 39 
CALL 
CALL 
SO 8 34 
CALL 
40 8 25 
40 8 25 
SO 8 33 

;si u 

40 8 25 

40 8 25 


CASH-n^ARRY COMPUTER STORES. INC 


SSw ixLr^’^rhinjiun Sicppl (iil CAll (4tS) 9624212. 
{tPORTlAND. OEfCON — Al FeiL 217 liRjrd 4l rniprypt 
"non ol M.xh»jy« 217 tnd 99V\ CAlt (^161) ft20-$S95. 
lEATllf. WASH. - 1540 IJSlh A«P SI BrllrruP 96006 
» PU/U npar ImUhij SI ol 

CAU 641-4:i6. 




•W' 


OUR REFERENCES: 

Wa have bean m computers and alactronici 
tmea 1958. a computer dealer since 1978 and m 
computar mail order tmea 1960 Banks itl Iniar- 
ttata Bank. (503) 643-4676 VVa belong to (ha 
Chamber olComnarea (503) 228-9411. and Diraa 
Markaiing Aasociahon. caH Oun and Bradtlraai 
i( you ara a tubtcribar Rac<prani o( OREGON 
BUSINESS MAGAZINE S 1964 Entarpnaa Aaard 


NO SALES TAX 


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(800) 547-1289 

In Oregon (800) 451-5151 

lleMlanii CaN 

'503 i 620-9e7; 

QUESTIONS 
(503) 620-9876 

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CIRCLE 125 ON READER SERVICE CARD 










PC NEWS 


PC UPDATE BY VIRGINIA DUDEK 


NEW YORK - C compiler users will want to 
follow recent changes at Microsoft of 
Bellevue, Wash., and Lattice, Inc., of Glen 
Ellyn, Illinois. Lattice is the former 
developer of the MS>*DOS C Coapller. 
According to Lattice president Dave Schmitt, 
Microsoft has been planning to come out with 
its own C Compiler but wanted to get one to 
market before its own product was ready. 
Microsoft agreed to market the Lattice 
compiler under the Microsoft label while 
polishing its own in-house product. 

Now, current users of the Microsoft 
C Compiler can upgrade to Version 2.2 of the 
standard Lattice C Coapiler for $150. The 
upgrade includes a free copy of Lattice's C- 
SPRITE program debugger. Version 2.20 
includes, among other features, a size 
reduction in the floating-point math library 
and an overall reduction in the size of the 
run-time library. 

Microsoft is offering an update to 
current users of Version 2.03 of the Lattice 
C Compiler (Formerly Microsoft's C 
Compiler). Users can send $100 to Microsoft 
and obtain the new Microsoft C Compiler 
Version 3.0. Among other features. Version 
3.0 is designed to conform to the upcoming 
UNIX System V standard. 

• • « 

BetterBASIC version 1.1 has been 
released by Summit Software Technology of 
Wellesley, Mass. The modular language 
program now has DOS and BIOS ROM calls, 
chaining overlays, DOS 2.x and 3.x 
subdirectory support and an extended memory 
feature. Summit has already sent a free 
update to current users. The extra 
documentation is available from Summit. 

« « » 

Business presentation graphics get a 
boost from Version 3.0 of Keychart, by 
SoftKey Software Product, in Monte Sereno, 
Calif. The program now allows on-screen 
editing of charts and graphs. Instead of 
having to replot, the cursor arrow can be 
used to rearrange the elements on-screen. 
Other additions Include scientific x-y 
plotting and high/low closings for stock 
quotations. Softkey will provide Version 3.0 
to current users for $45. 

« * • 

Some short takes: InfoTools, Inc. of 
Cupertino, Calif, announced release 3.04 of 
Bakup, a microcomputer storage management 
system that backs up hard disks. Users can 
send $14.45 plus shipping and handling to 
Inf oTools ... Personnel Data Systems, Plymouth 
Meeting, Penn, announced that Personnel 
Assistant, a micro-based personnel software 
package, is now available for the IBM AT, 

XT, and compatibles ... Anex Technology of 
Congers, NY. announced Nultl-DOS Release 2, 
a PC-DOS operating enhancement system that 
allows four workstations to access data from 
one PC. Call Anex for a free update. 


Be a contributor to PC Update. Write 
or call Virginia Dudek, PC fiagazine. One 
Park Ave.. Nr, NY 10016 (212) 503-5265. 


An Appraisal of GEM (confinued from page St) 


them. It insisted on displaying 
hidden files. To top it off. you 
will still need more than a pass- 
ing acquaintance with DOS to 
properly operate GEM. Double- 
click a program, for example, 
and you might get a request for 
its parameters. 

gem’s batch-file installation 
procedure can be frustrating. 
Because there are no replace- 
able parameters, the prt>cedure 
absolutely will not permit the 
program to run from a hard disk 
called anything other than drive 
C:. This method also installs 
COMMAND.COM in a subdi- 
rectory of the Desktop disk, 
thereby forcing you to perform 
two extra disk swaps virtually 

GEM with GEM Desktop 
and GEM Draw 
Digital Research Inc. 

60 Garden Ct.. Box DRI 
Monterey, CA 93942 
(408)649-3896 
Requires: 256K RAM. 
Graphics or Enhanced 
Graphics card and color i 
monitor (or Hercules card 
and monochrome moni- 
tor). mouse, two disk 
drives. DOS 2.x or Con- 
current DOS 3.3 or later. 

every time you choose the "En- i 
ter DOS commands” option. | 

Fast Draw j 

No doubt about it. GEM is j 
speedy. It redraws high-resolu- I 
tion screens as fast as Quick- 
Draw does on the Mac. This , 
makes GEM’s element-based j 
graphics program worth a lot)k, I 


GEM Draw remembers each 
unit as it is drawn on screen and. 
in theory, allows separate ma- 
nipulations of the image 
later — like Mac-Draw and Lisa 
Draw rather than like the free- 
hand MacPaint systems. 

Gem Draw provides a wide 
variety of automatic-alignment 
options and paper formats and 
allows the user to work with two 
windows at once. But it lacks 
MacPaint customizable pat- 
terns. brush mirrors, fat bits, 
and extensive text fonts. The re- 
view version’s documentation 
was extremely sketchy; appar- 
ently. the program displays col- 
ors in the extended modes of 
the IBM Enhanced Graphics 
Adapter. Even without it. GEM 
Draw can produce hues on the 
proper plotter, camera, or print- 
er. GEM’s current list of sup- 
ported hard-copy devices, how- 
ever. currently includes only the 
I Diablo C 1 50. IBM/Epson print- 
i ers. and the HP 7470A/7475A 
' plotters. 

Unless Digital Research can 
get a whole mess of wonderful 
GEM applications rolling in a 
hurry, the program doesn’t 
seem likely to make major in- 
roads into the PC market. GEM 
looks like a Mac and offers a 
few extra gimmicks, but it 
leaves out any form of data 
transfer and many of the Mac’s 
other useful features. In opera- 
tion with DOS. it's an ugly, 
grafted-on third arm. But GEM 
just might be the perfect system 
for Jack Tramiel’s cheap new 
Atari. ■ 



CihM IX’skliip isii Miu inio.fh-hke visual shell for DOS 


54 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 







IBM MONOCHROME GRAPHICS. 
NO COMPROMISE. 






The Paradise Modular Graphics Card 
is the only video card that runs all popu- 
lar IBM color/graphics software — hill- 
screen — on an IBM (or equivalent) 
monochrome monitor. Unmod$ed. 

Right off the shelf. 

And not just ordinary monochrome: 
Crisp, full-screen, flicker-free mono- 
chrome graphics translated in up to 
16 shades. 


• Includes IBM-compatible color 
graphics on an RGB or composite 
video monitor. 

• Optional memory (up to 384Kb), 
clock calendar or floppy disk control- 
ler, and parallel, serial or game ports 
available. 

Alima single PC or XT slot. 

This may be the only card you 'll 
ever need. 


TMwrki Pu»*wWo*ilir6«iftiiaC«wl-fin«»« ;rilin .lt.M€rp»>BCnfluqC«i*-tlBoil«» C nul i f 1t it n ilip.l-21,Uii»-t<Mllwi %n ii 
CaraiMa.IioiHSydeBi.KPUM-MHHSyMMCaiipeniiM HttHerfd indeiarki lU. K1tiiiirtal-lM<ni«laraJliainatMKhnBCa(per«lM,ni^ 


Call today for more information: 

1-800-527-7977, In CA: 1-800-822-2020 (Dept. 167 ) 

150 North Hill Drive, Brisbane, CA 94005, 415-468-6000 

PARADISE 

You can measure it. 














Tianset 1000: The print buffer, communications buffer, 
port expander; printer sharer and I/O switcher. All in one. 





TWO computers can share one printer with 
TVanset 1000. Or. you can use TVanset 1000 to let 
two computers communicate with each other 


Even while printing. TYanset 1000 acts as a com- 
municaticws buffer and 24-hour mailbox AndIO 
switching lets route information among 
peripherals, without switching cat^. 


Anyone with a personal computer 
and one or more peripherals has 
faced the all-too-familiar dilemma. 
You need your computer to do an 
important job. But you're forced 
to wait for the system to finish one 
job (printing, communicating, what- 
ever) before you can go on to the 
next one. Or you need to stop what 
you re doing to switch cables when 
you want to use another peripheral. 

Wait no more. Now Hayes intro- 
duces an innovative new device that 
lets you perform many jobs— at the 
same time— independent of your 
computer. TTanset 1000. It works 
with a wide range of systems and 
configurations. And it allows you 
to continually 
expand your sys- 
tem as your needs 
grow, 

Ttanset 1000 
frees your com- 
puter from waiting 
on your printer or 
modem— so you 
and your com- 
puter can go on 
to another task. 

It even lets you 
print out documents in pre-set for- 
mats without having to go back into 
your computer. At the same time. 
Ttanset 1000 can operate unattended 
mailbox communications— 24 hours 
a day— even if your computer 
is turned off. 


parameters and printing formats. 
Cables available for IBM PC AT other 
computers and peripherals. 

Like all Hayes products.Ttanset 1000 
combines sophisticated capabilities 
with easy operation, lust as Hayes 
set the standard in personal com- 
puter communications. now Hayes 
is taking the lead in computer task 
management. 

Contact your authorized Hayes 
dealer to see how Ttanset 1000 can 
help you get a lot more productivity 


out of your computer system— 
without tying up your computer 
or you. 

Hayes Mlcrocomput< 
Products, Inc., RO. Box 

Atlanta. Georgia 30348 
404/441-1617 


In addition. Ttanset 1000 isa port 
expander and software-controIlM 
I/O switcher. Now files can be easily 
directed and redirected to different 
peripherals, without physically 
changing cable connections. 

Ttanset 1000 
contains a stand- 
alone micropro- 
cessor, and comes 
with 1 2 8K of mem- 
ory. It operates 
with any RS-232 
interface com- 
puter, and has 
optional accessory 
kits available for 
the IBM -PC and PC 
XT. Macintosh'and 
Apple' lie. Kits contain the necessary 
host cable, a user guide and menu- 
driven software that lets you 
graphically set up or 
customize 
port 


lYanset 1000 allows pnnting on bothadot matrix 
printer and tetter quality printer, white freeing your 
computer for other tasks. 





'SansetlOOO 


Innovative products for enterprising people 


€>198$ Kayes Mtcnxompuier Products Inc 


aRCLE 229 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC NEWS 


COMMUNIQUES EDITED BY JAMES LANGDELL 





PC Gwdes and Dolls 

Coleco's ill-fated Adam com- 
puters may be collecting cob- 
webs this summer, but the lives 
of that manufacturer's more- 
successful Cabbage Patch Kids 
can be brightened up with com- 
puters. If you have one of those 
homely faced orphans, it can 
join the ranks of the kiddie key- 
boarders attending Patch Prep, a 
computer camp billed as the 
“School for Unique Kids.” 

After a term at Patch Prep, 
under the direction of Margaret 
Kingsley, your computer-liter- 
ate “Patchic” will return toting 
a computer-generated diploma, 
a doll-sized Patch Prep T-shirt, 
and individual and class photos, 
posed next to a computer. 

Its easy to send your kid to 
camp. Just crate it up and ship it 
via UPS or parcel post to Patch 
Prep. 10 Corbin Circle, Bran- 
ford. CT 06405. Enclose 
$29.95 for the first doll and 
$24.95 for each additional 
stuffed sibling. 

1 


You Deserve a CM-Bteak Today 


When McDonald's restaurants need computers, you’d think they 
would buy some 5 1 2K Fat Macs from Apple and be true to the Scot- 
tish clan. Seems microcomputers aren't on Ronald McDonald's 
menu, however. Maybe Apple’s machines are too slow to handle 
fast food, but McDtmald’s didn’t order a side of IBM PCs either. 
Franchise operators who want to use McDonald’s proprietary soft- 
ware package, called McClass. need a minicomputer that runs the 
Pick operating system. 

McDonald’s probably requires computers that powerful just to 
keep count of the billions and billions served. ■ 


PC-Con^tdile Chocolates 


ware Toolwork.s. got into the 
chocolate hardware business by 
accident. An artist molded a sin- 
gle chocolate disk to be por- 
trayed on the package of a Soft- 
ware Toolworks program Choc- 
olate Bytes, a disk with over 1 00 
chocolate recipes. To publicize 
the program. Toolworks 
molded a few more chocolate 
disks and sent them to dealers, 
who were more interested in 
selling chocolate disks than 
cookbook software, so the 
Toolworks put its mold back to 
work. 

Sweetware produces “Eat- 
Only Diskettes” (two 4-ounce 
disks for SI 1.95) and a “Solid 
Chocolate Computer’ ’ with sep- 
arate monitor and terminal (18 
ounces for $15.95). Both are 
made of milk chocolate, with no 
preemptive bites taken out of 
them. These can be ordered 
from Sweetware, 516 Shel- 
burne Road. South Burlington. 
VT 0540 1 . (802) 862-6939. 

What will be the next trend in 
computer foods? Perhaps bub- 
ble-gum memories. ■ 


Judging from all the high-tech 
chocolate hardware in the PC 
marketplace, you’d think some- 
one had invented a new semi- 
conductor technology based on 
theobromine (the active ingredi- 
ent in cocoa). There’s a choco- 
late emulation of a microproces- 
sor chip, a choice of two edible 
disks, and. for the ravenous 
sweet tooth, a keyboard and ter- 
minal molded from over a 
pound of solid milk chocolate. 

All four of these chocolate 
computer items arc a welcome 
change from the typical molded 
novelty that tastes more like 
wax than candy. 

"The Chocolate Chip" is 1.9 
ounces of Belgian semisweet 
chocolate, set in a black box 
lined with red plush. This styl- 
ish tidbit, made by Chocolatek 
(4475 Mission Blvd.. Sweet 
21 I . San Diego, CA 92109. 
(619) 272-7720). is sold in 
stores at prices from $6 to $8. 

One chocolate diskette is 
called “The Original Chocolate 
Byte” (priced at $9.95) because 
it’s molded to kx)k as if one of 


its comers has already been nib- 
bled. This4.77-ouncc square of 
milk chocolate is wrapped in red 
foil and packaged in a hard plas- 
tic diskette case. The case, 
which can be used to carry real 
disks after the chocolate is ex- 
hausted. is a popular part of this 
gift, according to its maker. The 
Chocolate Software Co. (15233 
Ventura Blvd.. #1118. Sher- 


man Oaks. CA 91403. (818) 
986-4885). 

Curiously, that company, 
which is a division of The Soft- 


Last year, the Cabbage Patch 
dolls cushioned Coleco against 
its losses from abandoning the 
Adam computer line. The 18 
million dolls sold in 1984 ac- 
counted for more revenue than 
1983 sales from computers and 
videogames combined. 

IBM could have teamed a 
marketing lesson from Coleco 
when it suspended the PCy> 
this spring. Big Blue should 
have cashed in with a line of 
dolls modeled on its PCjr per- 


sonification. the tyke who 
played the Little Tramp's lit- 
tler sidekick. 

Since the PCjr is now an or- 
phan. IBM's stuffed tots could 
inherit a market share of the 
Cabbage Patch mystique. And 
there's a natural aftermarket for 
accessories. PCjr owners can 
help IBM by dressing them up 
with tiny white shirts, blue 
suits, and little black shoes. 

— Robin Raskin 
and James LangdeU 


58 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 








Burn Baby Burn, Says PCjr Software Maker 

”We*re just sitting here tr> ing to put our PCjrs in a pile and 
burn them. And the damned things don't bum. That’s the only 
thing IBM did right with the machine — they made it flame- 
proof. 

— William H. Bowman, chairman of Spinnaker Sofnvare 
Corp., quoted in Wall Street Journal. March 2! . 1985 


You Know My Name, Look thi My Himber 


Microchips Become 
Food for Thought 

Researchers in molecular elec- 
tronics at Camegie-Mellon Uni- 
versity are trying to invent 
biochips— organic molecules 
that can function as electronic 
circuits in computers. While 
these scientists have a tough 
row to hoc before successfully 
growing a computer, an inde- 
pendent author claims to know 
the secrets of a more direct way 
to raise organic computers. 

Computer Gardening Made 
Simple! is a pamphlet authored 
by Charlie •‘Chip" DeJardin 11, 
who has a down-to-earth atti- 
tude about electronics. Each 
copy of the booklet includes a 
packet of computer seeds. They 
may look like integrated cir- 
cuits. but the author explains 
how to sprout and replant them. 
With go^ soil, decent weather, 
diligent debugging, and a few 
months of patience, you can 
save thousands of dollars when 
you harvest a row of computers, 
pluck diskettes from a Southern 
Roppy Disc plant, or dig up a 
few modems, which grow un- 
derground like potatoes. 

DeJardin claims that comput- 
ers you raise yourself are more 
user friendly than ‘ 'those grown 
in large factories, where the 
plants do not get very much at- 
tention.” 

The seeds and 32-page illus- 
trated book are available for 
$2.99 and 75 cents postage from 
Zick Productions. P.O. Box 
13096, Gainesville. FL 
32604. ■ 



In the electronics business it’s 
hard to find product and compa- 
ny names that are still up for 
grabs. This problem faced Steve 
Wozniak recently when he 
wanted to name his post-Apple 
venture MBF — short for My 
Best Friend. But that name 
turned out to be claimed al- 
ready . so The Woz had to retreat 
to Cloud 9. a name now reduced 
to CL 9. 

In light of the name shortage, 
Ashton-Tate seemed to be 
spendthrift in a recent ad for 
Framework that depicted a man 
struggling to reach over a desk 
piled high with software pack- 
ages. A score of the boxes in 
this scene were labeled with 
names never seen before in the 
computer business — names like 
Textware, Unisort. NEWware, 
Formula Ware. X-57 Ware, 
Nexo, andNuwave. 


How did Ashton-Tate find so 
many unused names for its fic- 
tional wares? The company had 
to do a legal search on numerous 
names, just as it would for an 
actual Ashton-Tate software 
product. “It was a considerably 
long process.” said Maralee 
Sanserino. Ashton-Tate’s direc- 
tor of advertising, when we con- 
tacted her at the Ashton-Tate of- 
fices in Culver City. Calif. 

Sanserino explained that the 
most cryptic names in the ad — 
MRP 85. Deville. and CAP-707 
among them — were derived 
from the names of typesetting 
fonts. The number 7 also 
seemed to be a key element in 
making safe names — hence, 
OUU-77 and 777Ware. Maybe 
uncopyrighted 7's are so plenti- 
ful because that digit has be- 
come too old-fashioned in the 
eighties. ■ 


Drive, He Srpreaked 

Car & Driver is one of our fa- 
vorite magazines, so we were 
thrilled to see a big name in the 
automobile business bring its 
racing spirit into the PC mar- 
ket. The Torringlon Company, 
a leading manufacturer of 
automotive bearings and uni- 
versal joints for steering sys- 
tems. used these road-wise 
words to describe its new com- 
puter mouse: 

”An independent suspension 
system on its X-Y drive wheels 
. . . provides low-drag, skip- 
free, and smooth gliding perfor- 
mance on a variety of desktop 
surfaces at any angle. 

“More traction between the 
drive wheels and operating sur- 
face greatly improves our 
mouse’s control and positioning 
of the cursor.” 

Torrington says its mouse has 
survived tests running “three 
times the distance of its 200- 
mile life,” thanks to this ro- 
dent’s “rugged construction, 
urethane drive wheels. Teflon 
glide pads, plus a plastic-shield- 
ed drive mechanism . ’ ’ 

The Torrington mouse is 
available in four models, offer- 
ing users the options to choose 
between two or three buttons 
and serial or quadrature output. 
If you’d like to join the mouse 
race and bum some urethane on 
your desktop, contact The Tor- 
rington Company, 59 Field St.. 
Torrington, CT 06790, (203) 
482-9511. ■ 



PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


59 


llluuniiom by Gary Viskupic 




PC NEWS 


DOWN TIME Bv WINN L. ROSCH 


Datacopy 700 Gives PCs 
A Photographic Memory 


Back in the days when 1 free- 
lanced for the local newspaper. 1 
had the honor of writing the sto- 
ries no one on the staff wanted. 1 
soon learned the true worth of a 
picture — not just a thousand 
words — a full $20 bucks, paid 
on publication. By dressing up 
each of the tales 1 sold to the 
newspaper with enough images, 
1 could afford to feed the wolf I 
kept chained nearmy front door. 

The incentive was enough to 
transform me from journalist 
into photojournalist; enough 
that I. with a cleverness only 
surpassed by laziness, devel- 
oped my own image bank. With 
my surplus of photos. 1 could 
quickly select the right picture 
to emphasize a particular 
point — and incidentally fill the 
glaring hole in my text and 
budget — without jumping in my 
waders and slogging through 
some swamp. (I remain one of 
the few men who has ever got- 
ten a picture of a bog-bound 
skunk cabbage published in a 
newspaper.) 

Shadow Dancing 

Since my newspaper days, 
the lesson that I learned has fol- 
lowed me like a creditor, and 
I’ve found that what works for 
gonzo journalism works just as 
well for related forms, like busi- 
ness reports. The personal com- 
puter proves this point, with 
colorful machine-drawn graph- 
ics and charts gracing those oth- 
erwise gray-flannel sleeping po- 
tions. 

Despite computerization, 
however, rarely do meaning- 
packed images like photographs 
and line drawings grace busi- 
ness letters, reports, and other 
diatribes today. The reason is 
not their lack of value or pur- 
pose. The worth of a mug shot 
from a personnel file, a photo of 


real estate for sale, or the 
floorplan of a bank far out- 
weighs the power of the written 
description alone. 

I can conjure up a few reasons 
why such artistry is absent from 
business writings — the incon- 
venience of swabbing your sta- 
tionery with mucilage to hold a 
daguerreotype in place, the 
problems involved in building 
an image bank, and the labor re- 
quired to manually file every- 
thing and process the pictures 
when needed would be enough 
to dissuade most business- 
people from becoming image 
collectors. 

Banking on Images 

Computerization is coming to 
the image bank, and I've see the 
lead chariot of the invasion, the 
Datacopy 700. An image-cap- 
turing machine that digitizes 
graphics and photos into PC- 
compatible form, this machine 
promises to make your personal 
or corporate image bank more a 
boon than a bother. 

With the Datacopy 700, turn- 
ing your favorite image into dig- 
ital form is about as easy as 
making a Xerox copy. Simply 
lay out your line drawing, pho- 
tograph. or even text material 
on the glass-top of the PC-size 
machine. Select the CAPTURE 
command from Datacopy’s 
WIPS software, and in less than 
a minute, all the inky detail has 
been copied into a collection of 
bytes capable of reproducing 
the original with a resolution to 
200 dpi. Resolution of 300 dpi. 
to match the latest laser printers, 
is on the drawing board. 

You can file away the fin- 
ished digitized image on your 
hard disk (the Datacopy system 
requires you use an XT or AT), 
copy it like any other data file, 
and even view a rough copy on 


your screen using a Hercules 
Graphics Adapter. A special 
zoom mode in the WIPS soft- 
ware lets you fill your whole 
screen with a one-inch-square 
image of the original in intricate 
detail but in an ^d aspect ratio. 

When you want to spice up 
your otherwise down-and-dirty 
reports, the Datacopy software 
allows you to stick the image — 
reduced or enlarged to fit, if you 
please — in the appropriate place 
in your laser-printed document. 
If you have about an hour to 
spare, you can also get a blotchy 
replication on your Epson print- 
er or on one of the few other dot 
matrix machines the software 
supports. 

Different Looks 

Line drawings look like near- 
exact copies (with no tonal vari- 
ations); photos, however, have 
an odd cast. Even though the 
photo resolution is about twice 
that claimed of newspaper half- 
tones. the printed images look 
different because dot matrix 
printing and half-tone engrav- 
ing inevitably yield disparate re- 
sults. 

Additionally, color art can be 
a problem because the Datacopy 
is overly sensitive to red and 
doesn't much care about blue. 
It's orthochromatic rather than 
panchromatic. Nevertheless, 
digitized photos are detailed and 
decipherable. You could quick- 
ly identify the man or beast pic- 
tured in an image printed from a 
Datacopy-stored file. 

The technology is still young 
and faces a few obstacles. A lit- 
tle math will tell you that 200 
dpi spread over an 8l^-by 11- 
inch sheet is about 3.25 million 
points. Multiply that by the 
number of gray levels you want, 
error-checking if you’re inse- 
cure. and you’ve got a pretty 



big parcel of information. 

Despite the benefit of data 
compression, each of my full- 
size Datacopy photo images re- 
quired half a million bytes (or 
more) of disk space. Even the 
biggest of Winchesters will 
quickly run out of room — if you 
store nothing but full-size 
photos. A more reasonable im- 
age, say about wallet-size for 
incorporating in personnel files, 
requires commensurately small- 
er storage; line drawings require 
even less. 

Big images also take big pro- 
cessing power, straining the 
limits of the humble PC. Even 
with a fiill 640K RAM, your 
computer will shuffle tempo- 
rary files on and off disk. Unless 
you are placidly waiting for re- 
tirement day, you'll want to put 
an AT to work, which cuts the 
three minutes that the Datacopy 
requires to pull a ftill-size image 
off disk in half, as well as giving 
image-processing speed an even 
bigger boost. 

The future for the Datacopy 
700 and its technological litter- 
mates will brighten as more and 
more powerful personal com- 
puters crowd into the market 
along with new disk drives 
bulging with megabytes and, of 
course, optical memory sys- 
tems. Once this powerful h^- 
ware and software is at hand, it 
won't be hard to find applica- 
tions for electronic image 
banks. I could even put my 
newsworthy photo collection 
on-line. ■ 


Datacopy 700 
Datacopy Corporation 
1215 Terra Bella Ave. 
Mountain View. CA 
94043 

(415)965-7900 
List Price: $3950 


60 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 




HOW TO BUY SOfTWARE 
WHEN AU THE ADS 
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W e know it’s hard to choose 
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PC NEWS 


CALENDAR 


JUNE 

17- 19 

PC Expo. Will feature hard^varc. 
software, accessories, and confer- 
ences. To be held at the New York 
Coliseum in New Yoric City. Con- 
tact: Steven Gross. 333 Sylvan 
Ave. . Englcwtxxl Cliffs. NJ 07632. 
(201) 569-8542 or (800) 922-0324. 

24-26 

Videotex '85 sponsored by Online 
Conferences Inc. Conference and 
exhibition featuring videotex manu- 
facturers and busine.ss and consum- 
er applications. To be held at the 
New York Hilton in New York 
City. For more information, contact 
Online Conferences. 989 Ave. of 
the Americas. New York. NY 
10018.(212)279-8898 

JULY 

15-18 

The National Computer Confer- 
ence sponsored by AFIPS . Associa- 
tion for Computing Machinery. 
Data Processing Management 
Assoc.. IEEE Computer Society, 
and the Society for Computer Simu- 
lation. To be held at McCormick 
Place in Chicago. 111. The theme for 
the conference i.s “Technology's 
Expanding Horizons." For infor- 
mation call (800) NCC-1985. 

AUGUST 

19-20 

Future Computing's Graphics 
Forum and Seminar To be held at 
the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in 
San Francisco. Calif. Overview and 
forecast of the personal computer 
grai^ics marketplace. Contact: Fu- 
ture Computing. Inc., 8111 LBJ 
Frwy.. Dallas. TX 75251. (214) 
437-2400. 

SEPTEMBEB 

18- 20 

UNIX EXPO. To be held at the 
New York Hilton and Sheraton 
Centre Hotels in New York City. A 
UNIX operating system exposition 
and conference for manufacturers. 
OEMs. VARs. ISOs, and end-us- 
ers. Sponsored by National Exposi- 
tions Co., Inc.. 14 W. 40th St.. 
New York. NY 10018. (212) 391- 
9111. 

OCTOBER 

15-18 

COMDEX/Europe. To be held at 
the RAI Congress and Exhibition 
Centre, Amsterdam. The Nether- 
lands. Will feature hardware, soft- 
ware. peripherals, and other related 
items. Presented by The Interface 
Group. 300 First Ave.. Needham. 
MA 02194, (617) 449-6600. 


PEOPLE IN THE NEWS 


ISAAC ASIMOY Separates 
Hard Fact from Sci-Fi 


Some thoughts on 
today’s technology 
by the master writer 
of tomorrow’s 
science. 

BY CHARLES BERMANT 


NEW YORK — Isaac Asimov is 
talking baseball. When a ball is 
hit, he says, an outfielder auto- 
matically calculates the force of 
impact, the expected trajectory, 
and the effect of wind and 
weather conditions. Given this 
information, he will mentally 
compute exactly where the ball 
will be at a precise time, meet- 
ing it effortlessly with his out- 
stretched glove. 

**We are so used to seeing 
them do this," says Asimov. 
* ‘ when they miss we boo . ’ * 

This example, says Asimov, 
illustrates both what a computer 
can and cannot do. It can ana- 
lyze numbers but it cannot make 
judgments. And once the power 
of computers is recognized by 
the public at large, their contri- 
butions will be taken as much 
for granted as the fate of a fly 
ball. 

On this particular occasion. 
Asimov is helping Brother In- 
ternational inaugurate its Twin- 
riter printers. It is a break- 
through product that uses daisy 
wheel and dot matrix technol- 
ogy as well as a combination of 
the two. Asimov was requested 
to give a short address about 
computers and humanity by a 
PR firm. It’s a straight gig — 
don’t expect to see him hawking 
products k la Dom DeLuise or 
Alan Alda. 

His remarks are informative, 
pithy, and full of common 


sense. He is playing the role of 
the modem wise man. and his 
remarks are seemingly o^ the 
top of his head. His green shirt, 
bolo tie, and muttonchop side- 
burns show that he has as many 
iconoclastic ideas about fashion 
as he does about science. 

He manages to imply that 
Brother has made a giant leap 
for mankind with this day’s 
product announcement, finish- 
ing his speech by saying. "We 
are here to celebrate another in 
the ongoing victories of compu- 
terism so the human species can 
become totally creative and the 
world become a much better 
world than anyone would ever 
imagine." 

The Big Four 

According to Asimov, com- 
puters represent mankind's 
fourth communication revolu- 
tion. Unlike the first three — 
speech, writing, and print- 
ing — computer capabilities 
augment rather than depend 
upon the capabilities of the hu- 
man memory. 

"The computer revolution is 
the most fundamental revolu- 
tion of all." says Asimov. "It's 
more than a rerinement of earli- 
er skills and offers something 
that is not human in nature. The 
computer — and the printer — is 
the nonhuman force that rein- 
forces the human memory ” 

After only 40 years of use, 
Asimov doesn't think modem 
civilization can get along with- 
out computers. And. he believes 
in 40 years more, computer illit- 
eracy will have been eliminated 
with little ado: "It is mostly 
adults that are resisting," he 
says. "Children are more open, 
they will learn anything you ask 
them to. All we need is a change 
in generations." 



Handy Dandy 

"I don't waste time on nones- 
sentials like thinking." he says. 
After the expected audience re- 
action he adds, "That line al- 
ways gets a laugh, but so help 
me it's true." Of his unusual 
writing habits he says, “I write 
efficiently and quickly. My first 
drafts aren't Shakespeare, but 
they're usually pretty good. 
When 1 started, I thought (hat’s 
how everybody wrote. By the 
time I found out that it wasn't, it 
was too late." 

If his thoughts are pointed to- 
ward the next century and be- 
yond. his choice of PC. a Radio 
Shack Model 2, seems to be a 
neanderthal selection. Howev- 
er, in science as well as in the 
Bible, for everything there is a 
reason. The computer was a 
freebie, given to him by Tandy 
more than 4 years ago. and he's 
gotten used to it. 

"It's so difficult for me to 
leam to do anything with my 
hands." he says. "The fact that 
I learned how to use the Radio 
Shack is to me a miracle. Now 
that I've learned to use it. I've 
got to stick with it. 

"The only thing I can do well 
with my hands is women." ■ 


62 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


PtKKofuvph by Thom O'C anmw 





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PC NEWS 


64 


PARITY CHECK by STEPHEN MANES 


Pushing Picture-Perfect 
Programs: Smash That icon! 



What does Webster’s dictionary 
define as **an object of uncriti- 
cal devotion,” synonymous 
with “idol”? You guessed 
it: icon. 

I just spent a couple of days 
shuffling gem's little idols 
around the screen, and it was 
enough to turn me into an icono- 
clast. Digital Research isn't to 
blame: The tiny pictures don’t 
work any better on the Macin- 
tosh. It’s time to nip these cute 
little gremlins in the bud before 
the next generation of computer 
users ends up a bunch of illiter- 
ate morons with electromechan- 
ical “pointing devices’’ geneti- 
cally implanted in their palms. 

Xerox Means Computer? 

As near as I can Hgure out, 
icon-based systems, as we 
know them, came from Xerox's 
Palo Alto Research Center 
(PARC), that company’s Sili- 
con Valley think tank. This fact 
alone should give you pause. 
How often do you associate the 
word Xerox with the word com- 
puter? Right: when the repair- 
man fixing the office copier 
mutters that these new ones are 
“computer controlled, damn 
it!” 

The PARC folks proselytized 
with many of the cute tricks the 
Macintosh team later appropri- 
ated: multiple fonts, fancy 
graphics, the mouse — and 
icons. The term was playfully 
lifted from the branch of philos- 
ophy known as semiotics, a fun- 
filled vocation or calling devot- 
ed primarily to studying the 
meanings of signs, symbols, 
and language, and explaining 
them in utterly incomprehensi- 
ble prose. 

If a picture is worth a thou- 
sand words, so the icon theory 
goes, why not reduce the user’s 
interaction with a computer sys- 


tem to a simple system of point- 
ing at symbols? Want to u^ a 
floppy disk? Point to its picture 
instead of typing “floppy 
disk.” Want to read a docu- 
ment? Point to a cute little piece 
of paper. 

Different Disks 
But how do you differentiate 
your thirteenth disk, which con- 
tains business proposals, from 
yourfifth, which contains rather 
different sexual ones? A good 
program designer could proba- 
bly come up with a good set of 


sub-icons: a dollar sign for one 
and a heart or some other organ 
for the other. But sooner or lat- 
er, you’re going to run out of 
symbols. 

Unless, that is. you use some 
fairly common ones that we’ve 
used down through the ages to 
simplify complex situations: the 
alphabet. You could call one 
disk BUSINESS. 13 instead of 
coating it with 13 dollar signs, 
and you could forego 5 hearts in 
favor of LOVE. 5. Which is pre- 
cisely what you do on a Mac. 
Since icons can signify only 
gross differences, every single 
symbol, right down to the 
“trash bin”, also gets a plain- 
English' label — just like every 
PC-DOS file. 

So why not simply dispense 
with icons and gain some more 
screen space to display addi- 
tional alphanumeric info? Well, 


Xerox's original icon-based 
systems had room for this infor- 
mative text. Its screens showed 
at least a full page of text along 
with the icons; some even 
showed two full pages. A PC or 
Mac should be so well-en- 
dowed. 

Mystical Animation 
“Icons work intuitively,” 
say icon-worshippers high on 
Xerox toner. “Say you want to 
copy a file from one disk to an- 
other. Why, all you do is drag 
the file icon from its little win- 


dow over to the little disk icon, 
and abracadabra!” 

Intuitive? Doesn’t intuition 
tell you that that’s how you 
move (not copy) a file from one 
place to another? Not on your 
Mac! Once the copy’s made, the 
original file icon magically 
jumps back to where it started. 

Icons of Motion 

Even the Apple folks aren’t 
too hot about icons for verbs. 
If they were truly serious, 
they'd hire the people who de- 
signed the Ghostbusters logo to 
come up with cute little pic- 
tures for their menus: a little 
pair of scissors for “cut,’’ a 
glue pot for “paste.” and a 
garbage man for “empty 
trash.” But no. In pull-down 
menus. Apple uses text. In 
most cases, text can convey 
more information more suc- 


cinctly than icons possibly can. 

Icons make sense only if they 
have single unambigous mean- 
ings — and thus don’t require la- 
bels. MacPaint's icons, for ex- 
ample, do save screen space: the 
“paint can” does its stuff the 
same way every time. But an 
icon with a label is like an edito- 
rial cartoon that includes the 
word Reagan on its caricature of 
the chief executive. 

Mickeying Around 

The Mac and GEM interfaces 
do let you switch from pictorial 
icons to DOS-like one-line text 
descriptions, complete with file 
size and date. The only problem 
is that to do something simple 
like copying or trashing a file, 
you have to switch back to the 
less useful icon setup. 

What's particularly irritating 
about these displays is how hard 
they make it to find a particular 
file. Even in text mode, it’s no 
picnic to wade through a 100- 
file subdirectory, since there’s 
no easy way to tell the comput- 
er, “Show me all the files be- 
ginning with M . ’ ' And for some 
reason, there's a new cabal 
(TopView’s in it, too) that op- 
poses the truly intuitive method 
of scrolling a window: holding 
down the appropriate arrow key 
and waiting a sec. Instead, you 
have to mickey around with 
scroll bars and scroll buttons 
and sliders and window size 
boxes and phase shifters and 
time warpers to unearth what 
you’re looking for. 

I'm not against menus, as 
long as they can be turned off. 
I'm certainly not against point- 
ing, especially if you can do it 
with the arrow keys. I’m not 
against a totally redesigned 
DOS shell either. Just leave 
those damned icons in the 
churches where they belong. ■ 


If a picture is worth a thousand 
words, so the icon theory goes, why not 
reduce the user’s interaction with 
computers to a simple system of 
pointing at symbols? 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 




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Kingston, Mass 
02364 USA 
(617) 746-7341 


87BASIC/INUNE” converts the output of 
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in 8087 Support! 


8087 Smhz $109 

Including DIAGNOSTICS ar>d one-year warranty 
Fa IBM PC and compatibles. 

8087-2 8mhz $195 

Fa Wang, AT&T, DeskPro, NEC. Leading Edge 

80287-3 Smhz $250 

For the IBM PC AT 

64K RAM Set $12 

256K RAM Set $72 

256KCMOS RAM Set $135 
128K RAM Set pc at . . . $169 
NUMBER SMASHER" 1590 

9.54mhz 8067 coprocessor board with 51 2K 

FORTRAN and UTILITIES 

Microsoft Fortran 3.2 229 

IBM Professional Fortran 545 

Intel Fortran-86’ 750 

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STRINGS ar>d THINGS 65 

C and UnUTIES 

Lattice C 299 

Microsoft C Version 3.0. 299 

C86 299 

FLOAT87 150 

BASIC and UTIUTIES 

IBM Basic Compiler 270 

87BASIC 150 

87BASIC/INLINE. 200 

Summit BetterBASIC" 175 

Summit 8087 Module 87 

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IBM Assembler with Librarian 155 

87 MACRO 150 

Microsoft Assembler V 60 125 

PASCAL 

Microsoft Pascal 3.2 199 

Borland Turbo virith 8087 and BCD 85 

APL 

STSC APL^ PLUS/PC 450 

Pocket APL 85 

COSMOS Revelation 750 

SPSS/PC 595 

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ORCLE 331 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





Tektronix 40XX 
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EMU-TEIC” IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR 
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— and most similar packages arKi services. 

' Upgrade from dim storage tubes to bright raster scan 
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— Other terminal emulations, including: 

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• $395.00 PLUS OPTIONS 

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Cati or wri te us, or see your participating dealer. 

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CdWsystems 



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PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II, 1985 


69 



Ifoumaybe 
the l^st programmer 
in the world. 



For $125 you can 
let the wodd know it 


You’re a good programmer. Maybe even the best. 

But do your users know it? 

After all, they weren’t around while you were 
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Or is the screen dull, unimaginative and not as 
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Now you can remove the last obstacle between 
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/ Screen^ 

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Design a screen you like and rearrange it when- 
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Then Screen Sculptor generates actual program 
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You’U need an IBM PC, XT, PCjr, PC AT or 
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While makingyourself look very, very good. 


Try it FREE for 30 days! 

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ORCLE 172 ON READER SERVICE CARD 













What every IBM PC user should ask 
before buying the“Si(ier” 

10 MB hard disk: 


When a company offers a superior qual- 
ity 10 megabyte Winchester hard disk 
for only $795, it’s bound to raise a few 
eyebrows . . . and a lot of questions. The 
fact is, you’re probably already wonder- 
ing “Can 1 really get a 10 megabyte hard 
disk that’s reUabte for only $795?" The 
answer is: ABSOLUTELY. . .when you 
choose the Sider from First Class 
Peripherals. 

What’s so great about the Sider? 

For starters, the Sider lets you boot your 
IBM PC' or PCIXT directly off the 
hard disk— unlike some other Winches- 
ter subsystems. Rebooting is also trou- 
ble-free. And the disk is partitionahle, 
giving you a convenient way to organize 
your data, as well as access the informa- 
tion you store. 

What’s more, a small “footprint’’ 
lets you incorporate the compact Sider into 
your existing computer set-up with ease. 

In addition, with the Sider, you not 
only pay far less for the subsystem, you also 
save money on installation. Beause, unlike 
other 10 MB systems that require the 
purchase of expensive “extras,” the Sider 
is plug and play. Everything you need is 
provided, including cables, hmt adaptor, 
installation software and manual. 

What makes it so reliable? 

To start, tbe Sider is manufactured, and 
sold exclusively, by First Class Peripherals, 
an innovative computer company ^ich is 
backed by Xebec. The computer industry’s 
leading manufacturer of disk controllers. 
Xebec has over a decade of experience 
serving customers like IBM, Toshiba, Texas 
Instruments and Hewlett Packard. It’s this 
kind of expertise that helps assure the 
Sider’s performance. 

Special design features further en- 
hance reliability. The Sider’s controller is 
the field-proven, industry standard Xebec 
S1410A. And Xebec’s 3200 drive tester, tbe 
toughest in the industry, ensures error-free 
me^a to keep the Sider operating reliably, 

* Must contain hard disk ROM. 



“OnfyfT^?” 

longer. A self-contained power supply also 
adds to dependability by diminating the 
risk of heat build-up that could cut PC 
component life. One more assurance of the 
$795 Sider’s quality: it’s UL Approved and 
FCC Class B rated. 

But why is it only $795? 

You pay less for the Sider than for other 10 
MB hard disks simply because you’re pay- 
ing for the superior quality components 
inside the unit, not for a lot of retail over- 
head costs. Since First Class Peripherals 
sells direct, you avoid dealer and dis- 


tribution expenses, and pay only for 
tbe product. 

What about a guarantee? 

Like many experienced PC users, you 
may be reluctant to buy a hard disk 
priced at only $795 without first seeing 
for yourself how it performs. That’s why 
First Class Peripherals offers you a re- 
assuring money-back guarantee that 
eliminates any risk on your part. Simply 
ordo' the Sider and use it for 15 days. 
Then, if you’re not entirely satisfied, 
return it and receive a full refund— no 
questions asked. 

The Sider also comes with a full 
one-year limited warranty. Plus, there’s 
a convenient, toll-free hotline you can 
all anytime you have a technial or 
service question, or need help. 

Don't delay. 

Order the Sider now. 

To receive the Sider 10 megabyte Win- 
chester hard disk subsystem for only $795, 
simply order using the coupon below. For 
faster service, order by phone and charge 
to your \TSA, MasterCard or Amerian 
Express. (You an also all us if you have 
any questions or technial concerns about 
the Sider. We’ll see you get the help you 
need.) Call toll-free: 

1 800 538-1307 

Extension 101 


EZl YCSj please send me the Sider, including half-height 10 megabyte Winchester hard disk drive, 
IBM interface adaptm* board, able, complete installatitm software and documentation. 


I prefer to pay as follows: 

□ 1* *5% enclosed my check or mone>' order for 

S795* $15 shipping and handling, payable 

to First Class Peri[^erals. 

□ Please bill the following credit card account 
for $795* + $15 shilling and handling: 

□ VISA □ MasterCard □ Amerian Express 


Address 


City 


Slate 


Zip 


Cardtt‘ 


Exp. Date 


Signature 

* Residents of CA, NV and PA. please add appropriate sales tax. 


Tilepbone (area code) 
Mail to: 

I R S T 

pen$pncnAL8 

.^hCLASS 


3579 Highway 50 East 
Carson City, NV 89701 

l<H 


CIRCLE 239 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



YOU FORCED US TO MOVE! 


...and We Love You For It! 



EUROPE 

Announcing Logicsott Europe. 

" ° order directly tut 


Because of the tremendous response you've given to our FREE 
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Quite honestty there were times when it seemed like (he whole 
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We realize that some of you have had problems getting through (our 
phones simply could not handle the volume) and. yes. some have 
even gotten their shipments late (our shipping department has been 
on a 12 hour schedule)., to those of you. WE APOLOGIZE for the in- 
convenience and would like to say THANK YOU for your patience. 

A one million dollar investment has allowed us to solve these pro- 
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up our sales department, added a spanking new phone system and 
built a fully automated warehouse. 

Oh, sorry, we almost forgot Harold " (who's extremely fast, but 
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door...tast. Sorry Harold. 


Ww%/ 


Annuunuiiiy 

our European frIenPs rnay now mmu^n 

our Amsterdarn “ ons o*Tbe most sought after 

I latest factory tresh veraions or » 

j^’er?o'c“.™ PdW pennies. Tele.: 10759 

Loaic O2093.«e94 or rn.ll orders to; 

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We’ve evaluated over 50 <h them and just 
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THE LOGICAL CHOICE 

A Member ol the Logic Group 


110 Bl-County Blvd.. Farmingdale. N.Y. 11735 




In New York State .516.249.8440 • In Canada .416 283 2354 
Custnmer Service 1 800-431. 9037 

See following pages for Software. Hardware. Special 
Order Dept., Programmers Dept., PC Jr. Corner and our 
Computer Forms Division. 







AND COMPARE! 




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Any rnce 9 

Qy piKe « nol lo«»' Loflicsoll 


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1 

$259 

WORDSTAR 2000 PLUS 

309 

MS 

Wordstar Pro Plus 

345 

WORD PERFECT Nuiw 

245 


245 

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MULTMATE 

249 


195 


199 


199 


2S5 


2?S 


325 

Xy WrllR II PhK 

7SS 

Think Tank 

125 


DATA BASE 


$259 dBase II (New Release). 


295 Data Base Manager II (a^ha) 
.345 Vifostarplus 


FMANCIAL 
$299 MANA6M6 YOUR MONEY 

_319 Home Accountant Plus 

_175 Howard Tax Preparer 


Professional Tax Planner . 


_S119 

99 

_195 

299 


.245 pfs: file & pfs; report 


_1M Fb(^ Asset System (BEST) 

_195 lylarketMana^r Plus (Dow Jones) 179 

_745 Market Analyzcr(Dow Jones) 299 

GRAPHICS 


225 L0TU9 1-23 


INTEGRATEO/SPREAOSHEETS 


_229 CHAHTMASTER 
_235 BPS Graphics 

.159 Fast Graphs 


pfs: write 

Wordpkis PC with Boss 


2S5 Smart Series 


StGNMASTER . 

$305 pfs; graph 

_305 Graphwriter. 


_$275 

_299 

_295 


359 d^n Access 

DATA BASE MANAGEMENT Electric Desk 

KN0WLEO6EMAN $259 SYMPHONY _ 

(For Support Flips, s— -UTiLmES") Supefcalc 3_ 

Tim IV 279 Multipbn_ 

R;Base 4000 


_195 

_95 

_319 

_319 

_495 

_175 


for Support Pko«- Sm ■UTILITIES*) 

DB Master 475 

dBASEI 395 

(For Support PkQS. S^ *UTILrTtE8*) 


TK! Solver 

pfs: plan 

FMANCIAL 

DOLLARS AND SENSE 

Financier II 


_579 Graphwriter Extension 

_299 Graphwriter Combo Pak 

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_395 EICRGRAPtICS 

.229 Energraphics with plotter option 

.429 PC Draw 

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.129 MICROSOR PROJECT S195 

.279 SuperPrejectflUS) 245 

2*5 

-195 

-299 


259 

_325 

295 


95 HARVARD TOTAL PROJECT MfiR. 

Project Scheduler (Scitor) 

-S1 15 Project Scheduler 5000 (Scitor) . 
_115 


WORD PROCESSING 


DATA BASE DATA BASE 


Fancv Font 

$139 

Quickode III 

stss 

Wordpkjs (Oasis) 

115 

d Graph III 

175 

pfs: proof 

95 

d Util III 

95 

Punctuation & Style 

99 

kGraoh 

175 

Soellix 

59 

kPatet 

95 

WocdoeilKl Sorter 

75 

kText 



175 PROKEY 3.0 


GENERAL 

$145 Crosstak XVI (Nw Rpees) $115 

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Sideways 45 

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Pil sss suStcno^paop wWho u t wodce. 


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NEW! Expanded Special Order Dept. 

We know there are many products that simply 
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I T PC JUNIOR cohnerI 


SOFTWARE 

Lotus 1-2-3 

Wordstar 

Electric Desk 

HARDWARE 
Captain 128K (T*cmar) 

PC Mouse (Moum SysUtns) 129 


HARDWARE (Cont.) 

$309 Keytronic 5151 Keyboard $179 

149 Keytronic 5194 Num Keypad 79 

1 19 Jr. 1 26K Booster (M icro»ott) 329 
Quadram Expansion Chassis 519 

339 Quadram Exo. Memory 235 

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Display Manager (DR) 
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LATTICE C COMPILER 
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s$175 Pascal Compiler (MS) _ 

349 CCompiler(MS) 

489 Microsoft Son . _ 

_359 Cobol Compilef(MS) . . 

. 269 Business Basic (MS) 

305 FORTRAN C0MPLER(M$) 

119 C86C Compiler 
_.479 (Computer Innovations) _329^ 


PRINTERS* 


DUBLO 


••36 

$1229 

••620 

749 

630 API 

1529 

••630ECS 

.1799 

EPSON 


LQ1500 

$1199 

Parallel Interface Lowest Price 

JX80 

599 

Rx-eo 

239 

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289 

RX-lOO 

399 

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379 

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SM 

c. rroH 


Prowriter 8510BPf 

$329 

Starwriter A1 OP 

479 

Starwriter F10-40P 

969 

Printmaster F10-55P _ 

1249 

JUKI 


fiinn 

$439 

6300 

799 

MANNESMANN TALLY 



$279 

160 

579 

180 

149 

NEC 


••2030 

$719 

••8027 

349 

••2050 

695 

3fi3n 

1329 

3550 

1395 

••8850 

1715 

••Piowriter P2 

675 


195 

OKDATA 


182P 

$739 

83A 

569 

84P 

799 

92P 

389 

93P 

639 

2410 P 

2295 

QUADRAM 



$789 

QUME 


••Sprint 11/40 

$1299 

••Sprint 11/55 

1595 

••Sprint 11/90 

2295 

SK.VBI REEO 


400 

$279 

500 

349 

550 

Ml 


PRINTERS 

TOSMBA 

1351 Tractor 

1351 
1340 
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PRINTER/PLOTTERS 
HEWLETT PACKARD 
HP7470A 
HP 7475 


PC Plotter 

AMDEK 
Color 300 
Color 500 
Color 600 
Color 710 


MULTl-FUNCTIDN BDAROS 
QUADRAM 

0uadboard64k $259 

STB 

Super Rio (64k) $329 

Lowest Price Rio Plus II (64k) 259 

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Grande Byte Lowest Price 


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1299 

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Smartmodem 300 

Smartmodem 1200 

Smartmodem 1200 B<««> 

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MSTRUMENT 


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PRENTICE 



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Popcorn XI 00 

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$629 


355 


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699 

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A.STR.SC 

699 

Maxwel 1 200 PT 

S39S 


389 

AST 3780 

749 

Maxwel 1200 V 

439 


479 

vn Phi*; 11 

135 

2400 PC 

$39 


579 

OCA 


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1 2" Green 300G _ 

12" Amber 300A_ 

12" Amber 310 A 
13" Color IV 

NEC 

J61201 

JB1205 

JC1215 

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PMNCETON GRAPHICS 

RGBHX12 

RGB SR 12 


_135 

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Monograph plus $425 

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Graphics Card $325 

Color Card 169 


PC Modem Halt Card 

PC Modem 1200 

1200 Plus 


_$439 

_399 

399 


$419 

_ 599 
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165 


Scan Doubter Board Cv sr-i Z). 
Amber Max-12 

QUADRAM 

Ouadchrome 1 2" $465 

Quadscreen 17" 1595 

Ouadchrome I1 1 4" 465 

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100G $125 

105A 135 

121 149 

122 149 

210 259 

420 409 

440 699 

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Six Pak Plus 64k $259 

Mega Plus II 64k 275 

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Modubr Graphcs (!ard 

Options A & B Lowest Price 

PERSYST 

Monochrome Card S199 

PLANTROMCS/FREOERCK 

Colorplus S365 

QUADRAM 

Quadcotorl $195 

Quadcolorll 465 

STB 

Graphics Plus II $315 

TECMAR 


BACK-UP DEVICES 

ALLOY 

Tape Backup Lowest Price 

SYS GEN 

Tape Backup Lowest Price 

MOUSE INPUT DEVICES 
MOUSE SYSTEMS 

PC Mouse w/paint S139 

MICROSOR 

Microsoft Mouse (SeiiaO $149 

Mcrosoft Mouse (Buss) 149 

SURGE PROTECTORS 
KENSINGTON MiCROWARE 


CURTIS 

$39 

Fmerakf 

49 


59 

Riibv 

69 

KEYBOARDS 

KEYTRONC 

5150 

$159 

SI 51 /Deluxe) 

179 


.$545 


_795 


Advantage (1 26k) _ 

IDEA 

IDEAmax 364 (64k) 
ORCHID 

Blossom (0-K) 


_429 


_S259 


Graphics Master 

TSENG LABORATORIES 

Ultra Pak 

EVEREX 

(kaphicsEdge Lowest Price 

MODEMS 

PROMETHEUS 

Pro modem 1200 S395 

Pro modem 1200B 319 

QUADRAM 

Asher S395 

Ouadmodem 1 1 00 555 


.$459 5152 BorL 


Lowest Price 
MEMORY CHIPS 

(200ns) 64k $35 

DISKETTES 

L06ICTRAK 5y«”*iM% ifiMunwi 
OomMb sUe. eouMi deesSy . 1 1 ptr hoi 

20 + boxes per disk $2.35 

10-19bexes perdisk$2.50 

2-9 boxes perdisk $2.99 

1 box perdisk S3. 99 


*Due to weight restrictions. Printers and Monitors are shipped UPS... FREE! **Parailel interface req...Ask sales agent 


• NO SunCNAIttf l« VISA m MMtvCird • Ni Sjin Tit •• Or«*ri 0«<f4t N Y SUM • Pwciim OrdKt 
IWiciMtd tiM Oulitad MMAatwi NO SUACHAA6E' <niMt ciK •«« pnci *trit«daiii • ANut idd 
NwQ Md rtitwiMi iiM I mivt mM M • MititrCwd visa AaktttciA Eip COO Mmiv 0<d«' i CMct 



"“SS’ 1-800-645-3491 

Customer Service 1-800-431-9037 


THE LOGICAL CHOICE / 0 > 

A Uftrib*! of Tt >0 Logic Group 

110 Bi-County Blvd.. Farmingdale. N.Y. 11735 


New York State..516-249-8440 Canada....41 6-283-2354 Domestic/lnfernafional Telex 286905 Soft UR 



AND COWIPARE! TEAR AND COWIPARE! 




^^Pare! 



1/2" GREEN BAR PRINT-OUT PAPER 


•Ctfbon ln<>rt«»vtd **Caft>Qnl««8 P»pw 


BLANK "CLEAN EDGE" PAPER 




SIZE 

NO. OF 

QTY. PER . 

PRICE PER CARTON | 

ITEM NO. 

WOT. 

W S L 

PARTS 

CARTON 

1 

2-4 

SSOver 

804-101 

15 LB- 

8V!"x11" 

1 

3500 

$32.90 

$3050 

$2650 

804-171 

20 LB. 

ev^^'Kir 

1 

2600 

29.90 

2750 

2650 

804-102 

15LB.‘ 

81^"x11" 

2 

1400 

3750 

3450 

3350 

804-111 

15 LB. 

9Vi"K ir 

1 

3500 

3250 

3050 

2850 

804-175 

20 LB. 

9Vr"x ir 

1 

2600 

2950 

2750 

2650 

804-112 

15 LB.' 

9’/r"x 11” 

2 

1400 

3850 

3550 

3350 

804-113 

15 LB.* 

9’/^"x 11“ 

3 

875 

3750 

3450 

3250 

804-141 

15 LB. 

14'/.”x11” 

1 

3500 

4950 

4550 

4350 

804-182 

20 LB 

i4'Vx ir 

1 

2700 

-SEE 

SPECIALS- 1 

804-142 

15 LB* 

14'/," X 11" 

2 

1400 

5250 

4850 

4650 

804-161 

NCR** 

i4'/,”xir 

2 

1800 

6850 

6350 

6050 

804-143 

15 LB* 

14’/,"x11" 

3 

875 

4950 

4550 

4350 

804-162 

NCR** 

14V X 11" 

3 

1200 

7250 

6650 

6350 

804-144 

15 LB* 

14’/," X 11" 

4 

650 

5250 

4850 

4650 

804-163 

NCR** 

14’/." x 11" 

4 

900 

7550 

6950 

6650 

BLANK CARBONLESS PAPER 

804431 

NCR** 

avj’x 11 

2 

1800 

5050 

4650 

4450 

804-332 

NCR** 

0Vx 11" 

3 

1200 

5350 

4950 

4750 

804-333 

NCR** 

8V^" X 11" 

4 

900 

5550 

5150 

4950 

804-312 

NCR** 

9V X 11" 

2 

1800 

5250 

4850 

4650 

804-313 

NCR** 

9V5"x 11" 

3 

1200 

5550 

5150 

4950 

\^804-314 

NCR** 

9Vi"x ir 

4 

900 

5850 

5450 

5250 y 


100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! No Handling Charge! 

CIRCLE READER CARD H 2S3 TO RECEIVE A 
FREE FULLY ILLUSTRATED COMPUTER PAPER CATALOG 


*P»cfc>d ijDOO »f>— ts p»f carton • High quGlty 20 lb. nocks 



rr^NO. 

papebsTock 

sax 

COLOR 

PRICC 

804500 

Economy Bond 

9’.vxir 

White 

see specials 

804-900 

Economy Bond 

9V%"X 14" 

White 

3050 

804503 ■’ 

tl Watermarked Bond 

9W" X 11" 

White 

2M0 

804-901 

41 Watermarked Bond 

9V4"x 14“ 

White 

4350 

804506 

25% Rag Bond Cockie Fmoh 

9'/i"x ir 

White 

~ 3450 

804-902 

25% Rag Bond Cockle Fmisri 

9Vi" X 14’ 

Wh«e 

4750 

804^ 

Classic Laid 

9W"x 11" 

Br. White 

3750 

804-904 

Classic Laid 

9V X 14- 

Br. White 

4850 

804512 

Classic Laid 

9W”x ir 

Ivory 

3750 

804-906 

Classic Laid 

9W X 14" 

Nory 

4850 

804515 

OassK Laid 

9VY"x 11" 

/Vnt. Gray 

3750 

804-908 

Oassc Laid 

9'/i" X 14" 

Ant Gray 

4850 

804518 

Classic Lax) 

9Vi"x 11" 

Tan 

3750 

804-910 

Classic Lax) 

9V^"x 14’ 

Tan 

4850 







COMPUTER LABaS 

■ 




MV.PW 


ITEM NO. 

LABEL SIZE 

WIDTH 

CARTON 

PRICE 

806-1 02 

1 WMa-3V^" X •*/.." 

4V4" 

5500 

see spedils 

806-104 

1 Wlde-4W X 

4^fc" 

5500 

2955 

806-106 

1 Wide- 4" X 

AW 

5500 

2455 

806-106 

1 Wlde-4" X 1’/.," 

AW 

5500 

3455 

806-110 

1 Wlde-5" X 2’V..” 

5W 

2500 

4855 

806-112 

1 Wlde-aWx T 

AW 

5500 

1955 

806-114 

1Wlde-3Vx R 

AW 

5.000 

4355 

1 T ■ Thiled labels avsilaMe m colors Peik Blue Green or velow Please speciy • R • Removable labeb 1 

806-201 

2Wide-3V^”x 

8" 

■ lojoob 

3555 

806-203 

2 Wlde-4" X 1'/.," 

9" 

10500 

8455 

806501 

3Wlde-3Vi"x’V,." 

1 1 W 

15.000 

S45S 

806-303 

3 Wide- 4" X 1'/.," 

IS- 

15.000 

9355 

806502 

4Wtde-3"V’V.,"’ 

IS" 

20.000 

8955 ' 

^806404 

4 Wide- 35" X 

14V," 

20,000 

9255^ 

Freight Charges Additional 



EVERY COMPUTER PAPER AVAILABLE 

• Labels • Green Bar • Letterhead • 

• Envelopes • Post Cards • And More • 

1 - 800 - 431-9040 


‘FORMS 


New Yorti SUM ..516 249-4650 Canada .416 283-2354 Oomeslicnniemallonal TaUx. 286905 Soft UR 


THE LOGICAL CHOICE 

A Member of The Logic Grouf) 

CIRCLE 282 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

110 Bi-County Blvd.. Fatmingdale, N.Y. 11735 








' THE BEST PRICES! 

We wilt meet or beat any 
qualified price you find. 

’ Next day shipping on all in stock 
items. 

Free easy access order inquiry. 
Orders from outside 
Pennsylvania and Nevada save 
state sales tax. 

V' Free technicial support with our 
factory trained technical staff. 
There is no limit and no deposit 
on C.O.D. orders. 


HARD 

Aupy 









..CALL 

EVKRIX 


CALL 

Tape Back Up 

CALL 


lDlA<<iociaies 

5 meg Removable/lmernal $1399.00 

10 meg Fixed/Intemat $1249.00 

IS meg S Removable/10 Fixed$2149.00 
2S meg 5 Removabla/20 Fixed$2499.00 

[•MSCA- 

10 meg Bernoulli Box $2149.00 

20 meg Bernoulli Box... $2799.00 

RanaSystems 

10 meg Internal $699.00 

TAUMAU 



>^MCEK 

300 Green $129.00 

300 Amber $129.00 

310 Amber IBM-Plug $169.00 

300 Coior/Audio $239.00 

Color 500 Composite/RQB $369.00 

Color 600 Hi-Res (640x240) $399.00 

Color 700 Hi-Res (720x240) $499.X 

Color 710 Long Phosphor $579.00 


2505 Dunwin Drive. 
Mississauga, Ontario 
Canada L5L1T1 
All prices shown are for U.S.A. 
orders. 

Call The Canadian Office for 
Canadian prices. 


12" Amber/Green TTL (ea.)$ll9.00 

NEC 

JB 1260 Green $79.99 



...$129.00 








X 1216 RGB 

..$379.00 

X 1410 RGB 

n^NCETON 

...$669.00 





SR-12 RGB 

..$629.00 


Scan Doubler $199.00 


• TAXCUM 

121 Green TTL $139.00 

122 Amber TTL $149.00 

210 Color ROB $239.00 

400 Med-Res RGB $299.X 

410 Hi-Res RGB $339.00 

420 Hi-Ree RGB (IBM) $429.00 

440 Ultra Hi-Res RGB $589.00 

QUADfVW^ 

8400 Ouadchrome $479.00 

6410 Ouadchrome II $469.00 

8420 Amberchrome $179.00 


Microbutfer from $199.00 

QWEBAMl^ 

Microlazer from $139.00 

Elazer (Epson) from $79.99 

DIGITAL DEVICES 

Printer Buffer 16K $74.99 

micsosiTS 

PftIPMtSAl PSOtHKTS 

Micro Stuffer 64K $109.00 


'^Haala 

Koala Pad w/Micro Painter $89.99 

■Poltfoid 

Palette $1299.00 


ZVM 122 Amber $69.99 

ZVM 123 Green $89.99 

ZVM 124 IBM Amber $149.00 

ZVM 131 Color $299.W 

ZVM 133 RGB $429.0C 

ZVM 136 ROB/Color $459.00 

ZVM 136 RGB/Color $599.00 


maxell. 

3Vi" SS/SD $39.99 

3V^" DS/OD. $54.99 

5V4" MD-1... $17.99 

5V4" MD-2... $23.99 

8" FD-1 $39.99 

8" FD-2 $49.99 

n \ferba!im. 

5V4" SS/DD $21.99 

SV,” DS/OD $29.99 

Disk Analyzer $24.99 

^^^SSSSSi 

Elephant SW SS/SD $13.99 

Elephant SV 4 " SS/DO $15.99 

Elephant SVx" DS/DD $17.99 

Elephant EMSP 5Vt $24.99 

I'ln 

SVii" Disk Head Cleaner $14.99 

DISK HOLDERS 

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS 

Rlp-in-nie 10 $3.99 

Flip-in-File SO $17.99 

Ftip-in-Fite 50 w/lock $24.99 

Flip-in-File (400/800 ROM) $11.99 

AMARAY 

50 Disk Tub 5Vii" 

30 Disk Tub 3Vi” $8.99 


•citizen 


MSP- 10 (80 col) 

..$349.00 

MSP-1S (132 col) 

..$499.00 

MSP-20 (80 col.) 

..$469.00 

MSP-25 (132 col.) 

..$679.00 

C.tTaH 


ProwritBf 7500 

..$219.00 

ProwrIter 851 OP 

$299.00 

Son of Starwriter A10P 

$459.00 

F1(M0P Starwriter 

$869.00 

F10-55 Printmaster 

$1049.00 



ComWrilerll Letter Quality 

...$399.00 

corona 


Lazer LP-300 

$2799.00 

DIABLO 


36 

$1099.00 

D25 

...$599.00 

d^sywriter 


2000 

...$749.00 

EPSON 


RX-60. RX-100. LX-aO 

CALL 

FX-80 + . FX-100 + 

CALL 

LQ 1500. JX80 Color 

OLL 

Homewriler 10 

CALL 

■juicr 


6100 

...$399.00 

6300 

...$719.00 

SEC 


8027 Transportable 

...$299.00 

2000 Series 

...$699.00 

3000 Series 

$1099 00 

8000 Senes SEE SPECIAL 

ELF 360 . .. 

CALL 

PR103A - Trimode 

...$289.00 

LQ15 ■ Letter Quality 

...$359.00 

8025 - Wide Carriage 

...$469.00 

OKEMIA 


83. 84. 92. 93. 182. 192, 193 
2410, Okimate 20 

CALL 

1 OLYMPIA 


Needlepoint Dot Matrix 

Compact RQ 

$339.00 

Compact 2 

$369.00 

Panasonic 


KX1090 

...$199.00 

KX1091 

...$279.00 

KX1092 

...$409.00 

KX1093 

...$599.00 

giADIWI^ 


Ouadiet 

...$740.00 

^Sil^En-RECO 

400 Letter Quality 

...$279.00 

500 Letter Quality. 

$299.00 

550 Letter Quality. 

$429.00 

770 Letter Quality 

$779.00 

Star 


SGlO (120 cps) 

...$239.00 

SG15 (120 cpa) 

...$399.00 

SD10 (160 cps) 

...$359.00 

SD15 (160 cps) 

...$479.00 

SR 10 (200 cps) 

...$499.00 

SR1S (200 Cps) 

...$639.00 

Powertype Lettsr Quality 

...$319.00 

SBiO (NEW) 

CALL 

TOSHIBA 


1340 (80 Column) 

...$599.00 

1351 (132 Column) 

.$1199.X 

P351 

$1209.00 




PC-151-21 Single Desktop CALL 2116 Single Portable $1499.00 

PC'1S1-52 Dual Desktop CALL 2220 Dual Portable $1999.00 

PC-151-53 10 meg Desktop CAU 4220 Dual Desktop $1999.00 

PC-161-21 Single Portable CALL 4620 10 meg Desktop $2899 00 

PC-161-52 Dual Portable CALL 


Safari CALL 

6300 CALL 

• SANYO 

MBC 550-2 Single Drive $699.00 

MBC 555-2 Dual Drive $969.00 

MBC 775 Portable CALL 

MBC 511 to Meg CALL 


PPC22 Dual Portable $1599.00 

PPCXTA 10 meg Portable $2799.00 

PC40022 Dual Desktop $2199.00 

NEC 

PC480O Srstom 

NEC . S800 CPU 
NEC ■ B831 Dual Dnves 
NEC ■ 1460 RGB Monilor 
NEC ■ 15LQ Printer 


IBM PC 
IBM PC-II 
IBM-XT 
IBM-AT 
SYSTEMS 


Conflgurad to your 
opocHIcatlona. 


Call for the price and 
availability of your 
ayatam raquiramanta. 


Electronic Desk $199.00 

fiSHTOK‘Tm.m 








• BOftlAnO 


■1 INURH*<>0I|«| 


Turbo Pascal 

$39.99 




npocom 



Enchanter 

$29.99 







Zork 1. 2. 3 

$27.99 

Infidel 

$29.99 


• Lotus 

Symphony $429.00 

1-2-3 $299.00 

mecq 

Manage Your Money $119.00 


Sidekick $39.99 

COEX 

Training Programs (ea.) $29.99 

^efTSAiPoea 

PC Copy 11..^ $29.99 

Continental Software 

Home Accountant Plus $49.99 

1st Class Mail $79.99 

DECISION RESOURCES 

Chartmaster $259.00 

Signmaster $179.00 

StakKI.HCTRONIC' ARTS' 

Get Organized $69.99 

Cot -n- Paste $39.99 

Music Construction $29.99 

One -on- One $29.99 

Financial Cookbook $34.99 

ENERTRONICS RESEARCH 

Energraphics $259.00 

PUNK SOFTWARE 

Sideways $39.99 

# llarv'unl Soltwurc Iik*. 

Harvard Protect Manager $209.00 

Total Project Manager $269.00 

Please (Data Base) $199.00 

Human Edge™ 

Communication Edge $99.99 

Management Edge $119.X 

Negotiation Edge $139.00 

Sales Edge S119.X 


WordStar 2000 

WordStar 2000 + 

$239.00 

$299.X 






MCnOSOFT. 



MuttiPlan 

$129.X 


CBSSSiQ 

Crosstalk $89.99 

Multi Mate $249-X 

PeachPack (QL/AP/AR) $199.X 

PETER NORTON 


NEC 

8850 

LcHcr Quality Printer 

S1369.»® 


MEMORY CHIPS 

KEYBOARDS 


4164 RAM Chips 

(ea.) $2.39 

KEVTRONICS 


128 RAM Chips 

.(ea.) $11.99 

Keyboard 5150 

CALL 

256 RAM Chips 

...(ea.) $9.99 

Keyboard 5151 

CAU 



Keyboard 5151 Jr 

CAa 



Keyboard 5149 Jr 

CALL 

Side Mount 5S-1 

$19.99 



Diamoryl SP-1 

$39.99 



Emerald SP-2 

$44.99 

fISfll KENSINGTON 


Sapphire SPF-1 

$59.99 

IiSB MICROWARE 








Volkswriter Deluxe $1S9.X 

UVfNO VIDEO TEXT 

Think Tank $109.X 


Norton Utilities (IBM) 

...$59.99 


IDM/APPLE 


/GT 









.$269.X 



I/O Plus II 

.$139.00 




..$249.X 




.$399.X 






Graph Pak Mono/64K 

..$S99.X 




..$399.X 





rroiessionaj MHtware 

PC PlusA-he Boss $249.X 

5251/12 

.$579.X 




..$499.X 



deia 


St^tyimre Art* 



$249.00 



TK/Sdver (IBM) 



sn 


EaOLE 






SSlSbftware 


EVBRBX 






s)^iapse 







THOUOHTWARE 


HERCULE.'^ 


Trigger 

.$289.X 


* 

Sell, Sell, Sell: 










TK« rK«- ma 


WWNBISOFTMMtEJNC 

The Desk Organizer (IBM) $119.X 

SIOMA DESIONt 





UltAssodm 

IDEAmax ■ ZPR, 64K. C. S. P.$229.X I 

IDEAmini - YPR, C, S, P $186.X | 

IDEAminImax - MPR 128K $229.00 

IDEAshare Software $219.X 1 

IDEA 5251 $699.X | 

PARADISE 

Modular Graphics Card $279.X I 

Multi Display Card $299.X 

Five Pack C. S $159.00 | 

RLANTRONWS 

Color Plus $369.00 I 

Captain - 64 $239.X I 

Captain Jr. 128K $339.M I 

Graphics Master $469.X | 

Ouadboard II $229,M ' 

Expanded Ouadboard $239-M 

Quad 512+ $249.M 

Quad 2 Meg $879.X 

Memory Board $229.00 

QuadJr E)^. Chassis $499.X 

OuadJr Exp. Memory $219.00 

QuadMemJr $229.X 

Chronograph $89.99 

Parallel Card $69.99 

Quadcokx I $219.0 

Quadgraph $379. M 



Tired of waitiiig 
to your PC? 



1 I CRNT m TUD 

1 

1 TVMjSATQhCE' 

1 ^ R£H5E UBItT' 

?i 1 

'"i 


" / 




End the wait! 

Now Dcxjri eDOS 


Offers you more useable features! 


Dcxjbi,eDC)S 

Doniii tDoa 

Multi-tasking, concurrent 
processing using today’s 
software and your PC, 
XT, or AT system! 

No matter how good your PC is, you still have 
to wait while it processes and calculates for a long 
report, spread sheet, payroll, or whatever. This 
waiting is costing you time and money. 

Now, DoubleDOS, the remarkable new soft- 
ware, lets your PC actually run programs 
concurrently! 

Think of the ways DoubleDOS will save you 
time and money: 

• BUSINESS. Run a spreadsheet, and at the 
same time, print the payroll checks or 
accounting reports. 

• WORD PROCESSING. Work on another 
document while printing or spell checking 
previous work. 

• PROGRAMMING. Compile programs while 
starting new ones immediately. 

• COMMUNICATIONS. Receive or send infor- 
mation while you use the PC to do other tasks. 
DoubleDOS has endless applications! But it’s 
easy to use. 


DolhmDOS 



• DoubleDOS multi-tasking requires only 
18-40K RAM! 

• Built-in printer buffer! 

• Faster displays than DOS! 

• You have the option to control the 
multi-tasking functions with your 
own programs! 


Listen to what users are saying 
about DoubleDOS: 

• “It lets me get more done. Lotus and DBase run 
together like they were made that way and it only 
takes 30K in RAM!” 

• “Excellent. Just what we needed for our applications!” 

• “It does seem to perform as advertised and seems to be 
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• “Great product! It is solid, painless, and bulletproof." 


ORDER NOW! 

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call today, toll free 1‘600-272-9900. 


Sc^tLOGIC Satisfaction ' 
SOLUTIONS Guaranteed! 

530 Chestnut St., Manchester, NH 03101 ' 
1-800-272-9900. In NH call 627-9900. 

DoubleDOS works with PC-IXDS and your existing DOS software. 

Alao supports many Compstibl ei . 


CIRCLE 195 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


THE FROFBSSIQIIAL’S CnnCK 


Lotus 

1-2-3 

>899 

Lotus 

Symphony 

>419 

dBase III 

>339 

Framework 

>339 

MultlMate 

>259 

WordStar 

2000+ 

>309 


Software 

Word Processing Edilors 
EASYWRITER II 
SYSTEM S1»9 

FANCY FONT 1139 

FINAL WORD >199 

MICROSOFT WORD S339 

MICROSOFT WORD 
W/MOUSE $299 

MULTIMATE $2S9 

PFS; WRITE $ 9S 

SAMNA WORD III $289 

VOLKSWRITER DELUXE $159 
VOLKSWRITER 
SCIENTIFIC $279 

THE WORD PLUS 
(OASIS) $105 

WORD PERFECT $239 

WORDSTAR $199 

WORDSTAR 2000 $269 

WORDSTAR 2000* $309 

WORDSTAR PRO $259 

XYWRITEII' $229 


Spreadsheets/ 
integrated Packages 
ELECTRIC DESK 
ENABLE 
FRAMEWORK 
LOTUS 1*2.3 
MULTIPLAN 
OPEN ACCESS 
SMART SYSTEM 
SPREADSHEET 
AUDITOR 
SUPERCALC 3 
SYMPHONY 
TK! SOLVER 
Communications/ 
Productivity Tools 
CROSSTALK 
PROKEY 
RELAY 

SMARTCOM II 


$209 

$459 

$339 

$299 

$135 

$359 

$559 

$ 79 
$199 
$419 
$269 


$105 
$ 99 
$ 99 
$109 


Project Management 
HARVARD PROJECT 
MANAGER $219 

HARVARD TOTAL 
PROJECT MANAGER $279 
MICROSOFT 

PROJECT $159 

SCITOR PROJECT 
SOOOW/QRAPHICS $299 
SUPERPROJECT— NEW $199 
TIME LINE $269 


Database Systems 

ALPHA DATA BASE 
MANAGER II $179 

CLIPPER SCHI 

CLOUT V 2.0 $139 

CONDOR III $299 

CORNERSTONE $329 

DBASE II $269 

DBASE III $339 

INFOSTAR* $319 

KNOWLEDGEMAN $299 

PFS: FILE/PFS: 

REPORT $169 

POWERBASE $219 

OUICKCODE III $199 

OUlCKREPORT $199 

R BASE 4000 $259 

Languages' Utilities 

CONCURRENT DOS $189 

CN C COMPILER $299 

DIGITAL RESEARCH 
C COMPILER $219 

DR FORTRAN 77 $219 

LATTICE C COMPILER $299 

MICROSOFT C 
COMPILER $309 

MS BASIC COMPILER $249 

MS FORTRAN $239 

NORTON UTILITIES $69 

TURBO PASCAL $45 

Accounting Modules 

BPI $329 

GREAT PLAINS $479 

lUS EASYBUSINESS $279 

MBA $369 

OPEN SYSTEMS $399 

PEACHTREE $299 

REAL WORLD $469 

STATE OF THE ART $389 

STAR ACCOUNTING 
PARTNER $249 

STAR ACCOUNTING 
PARTNER II $549 

Professional Development 

MANAGEMENT EDGE $159 

SALES EDGE $159 

THINK TANK $119 

Home/Personal 

Finance 

DOLLARS AND SENSE $119 

HOWARD TAX 
PREPARER 85 $195 

MICROTAX SCM 

MANAGING YOUR 
MONEY $129 


Graphics/Statistics 

ABSTAT 
AUTOCAD 
BPS BUSINESS 
GRAPHICS 
CHARTMASTER 
CHARTSTAR 
DR DRAW 

ENERGRAPHICS W/ 
PLOTTER 
EXECUVISION 
GRAPHWRITER 
COMBO 
MS CHART 
OVERHEAD 
EXPRESS 
PC DRAW 
PC PAINTBRUSH 
PFS: GRAPH 
SIGNMASTER 
STATPRO 
STATPAK-NWA 
8TATPAC- 
WALONICK 


$229 

$239 

$209 

$199 


$139 
$259 
$ 89 
$ 95 
$179 
$409 
$329 


Desktop Environments 

DESK 0R6ANI2ER $129 

GET ORGANIZED $159 

SIDEKICK $ 45 

SPOTLIGHT $109 


Hardware* 

Display Boards 
EVEREX GRAPHICS 
EDGE $359 

HERCULES GRAPHICS 
CARO $329 

HERCULES COLOR 
CARO $179 

PARADISE MODULAR 
GRAPHICS $26$ 

PARADISE 

MULTIDISPLAY CARO $295 

PERSYST BOB $449 

PLANTRONICS 
COLORPLUS $419 

PRINCETON SCAN 
DOUBUR SCM 

SIGMA COLOR 400 $559 

STB GRAPHICS 
PLUS II $309 

TECMAR GRAPHICS 
MASTER $489 

TSENG ULTRA PAK $429 

TSENG ULTRA PAK • S $359 


$399 

$259 

$364 


$229 

$384 


Multifunction Boards 
AST ADVANTAGE 
AST 6 PAK PLUS (64K) 

AST 6 PAK PLUS(384K) 

AST MEGAPLUS II <64K) $289 
QUADBOARD EXP. 

qi^aJboaro exp. 

I384K) 

ORCHID BLOSSOM 
(84K) $289 

ORCHID PC TURBO $739 

PERSYST TIME SPECTRUM 
(64K) $259 

STB SUPER RIO (64K) $299 

TECMAR CAPTAIN 
(84K} $279 

TECMAR JR CAPTAIN 
(128K) $329 

TECMAR JR WAVE (64K) $259 

TECMAR WAVE (64K) $209 


Displays 

AMDEK 310A $179 

AMOEK COLOR II - $459 

PRINCETON HX.12 $469 

PRINCETON MAX*12 $179 

PRINCETON SR-12 $619 

OUAORAM 

AMBERCHROME $179 

TAXAN 122 AMBER $159 

TAXAN 420/440 $399/599 

ZENITH 124 AMBER $145 

ZENITH 135 COLOR $CHI 


Modems 

AST REACH 1200 $C«II 

HAYES 1200 $429 

HAYES 1200B $389 

HAVES 2400 $CHI 

VENTEL 1200 

HALF CARO $399 

Input Devices 

KEYTRONIC 5151 $169 

KOALA $Call 

MICROSOFT MOUSE $139 

PC MOUSE W PAINT $159 

Mass Storage 
ALLOY PC-BACKUP 
20MB $1649 

ALLOY PC-OISC 20MB $1769 
IOMEGA 10*10 MB $2895 

MAYNARD WS-I 10MB $C«II 

SIGMA $CWI 

SYSGEN IMAGE $C«tl 

TALLGRASS $CHI 


Pnnters/Piotters 

C. ITOH $Call 

COMWRITER 11/420 $CMl 

DIABLO 620/630 $CMI 

EPSON FX-IOO* $CMI 

EPSON LO-1500 $Ca« 

EPSON JX-80 $Call 

HP 747$A PLOTTER SCM 

JUKI 6100 $419 

NEC P3 $899 

NEC 2050 $769 

NEC 3550 $1399 

OKIDATA 84P/93P $729/619 

PANASONIC $CMI 

OUME SPRINT 1155 $1569 

SWEET P 6 PEN 
PLOTTER $899 

TOSHIBA PI340 $779 

TOSHIBA P13S1 $1279 

Emulation Boards 

ASTPCOX $949 

AST 3760 $609 

AST SNA/BSC $689/529 

BLUE LYNX $Cali 

CXI 3278/9 $950 

IRMA $M9 

IRMALINE $999 

IRMAPRINT $Caa 

QUAD 3276 $949 

Networks 

AST PC NET $CNI 

CORVUS NET $CNI 

ORCHID PC NET $CM 

3 COM SCM 

OUADNET IX $C48 


Accessories 
CURTIS SURGE 
PROTECTORS $C«U 

EPD SURGE 

PROTECTORS Scat 

OATASHIELO BACKUP 
POWER scat 

GILTRONIX A/B SWITCH $Cat 
MICROBUFFER INLINE 
(64K) $264 

MICROF/""" 


micrOfazer inline 


I64KI 

64k RAM SET 
2S«( RAM SET 
8087 MATH CHIP 


$219 

$25 

scat 

$150 


’CALL FOR SHIPPING COSTS 


Samna 
Word III 

Chart-Master 

>239 

ASTOPak 

Plus 

Tseng 
Ultra Pak 

Smartmodem 

1200B 

Smartmodem 

1200 

>299 

>259 

>429 

>389 

>429 



LOWEST PRICE 
GUARANTEE!! 

We will match current 
nationally advertised 
prices on most products. 
Call and compare. 


'i-Boa 


Diskette 
Library 
Case 
with your order 



In New York State call (718) 438-6057 


TERMS 

Checks— allow 14 days to clear Credit processing— add 3%. COD orders— cash. 

M O or certified check— add $3.6o. Shipping and handling UPS surface— aoo $3.00 
per Item (UPS Blue $6 00 per item) NY State Residents- add applicable sales tax 
All prices subject to change 


MON.-THURS. 9:00AM-8:00PM 
SUN. & FRI. 9:00AM-4:00PM 



Softline Corporation 
P.O. Box 729, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230 
TELEX: 421047 ATLN Ul 


















Simple as pie. 


GraffHopper is designed to 
reduce chart building to a 
simple process. The user 
simply looks through the 
ChartBook catalog of over 
100 formats, selects the 
preferred chart and responds 
to a few simple screen 
prompts to complete the 
chart. 

GraffHopper formats range 
from straight lines to 
sophisticated report/curve 
combinations and include 
pies, bars, lines, text, gantt, 
semi log, std. deviation, and 
combinations & variations of 
the above. 

*LOTVS I-2-3 is a copyright of 
Lotus, Inc.; MULT!PLAS is a copy- 
right hf Microsoft. Inc.: dBASE II is 
a copyright of Ashton-Tate. IBS\ 
PC/XT/ AT are trademarks of IBM. 



GraffHopper offers the 
traditional approach to chart 
building through the use of a 
simple menu structure 
(including on-line help), or 


for more streamline opera- 
tion, the command word 
metht)d. Whatever mtxle of 
chart creation, the objective 
of the software is the same: 
to produce charts with as 
little user interaction as 
necessary. 

GraffHopper also includes a 
unique feature — Chart 
Connect. Using Chart 
Connect the user can access 


data already stored in 
LOTUS 1-2-3*. MULTI- 
PLAN*, or dBASE II* files, 
through a series of simple 
user prompts and data need 
not be rekeyed. 

ORDER TODAY 

Send $295 plus $5 shipping 
and handling (plus applic- 
able California state tax) to: 

m 

Data Business Vision. Inc. 
3510 Dunhill Street. Suite B 
San Diego. CA 92121 
619/450-1557 



IBM PC/XT/ AT*, color or mono 

2i6K, graphics 

*198) Daia Buiiimt Vtsittn. loc. 



CIRCLE 324 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



FROM THE EDITOR’S SCREEN • BILL MACHRONE 


PCjr Revisited 

IBM may have given up on the PC’s little brother, but the machine's owners 
remained loyal and responded in droves to our request for information on 
how the Junior serves their needs. 


B ack in mid-March, I asked you 
why you had gone out over 
Christmas and bought a PCjr. Af- 
terreading more than 300 letters, I think 1 
have a clue. The first big message is how 
deeply you care about PCjr. Many of you 
also asked why Ziff-Davis cancelled 
PCjr, magazine. The reason, as you 
might guess, was economic. 

It’s reasonable to expect that 10 to 15 
percent of the owners of a personal com- 
puter might subscribe to a publication 
about it. Junior's initial sales were so 
slow that we couldn’t build a sufficiently 
large subscriber base to justify the maga- 
zine’s existence to advertisers. Now 
there are perhaps 300,000 PCjrs extant, 
with another 50,000 in the pipeline. But 
the numbers to support a magazine still 
aren’t attractive, especially in light of 
zero growth potential. Worse news for 
PCjr owners is that the static numbers 
don’t encourage coverage in existing 
magazines, either. 

The good news is that the PCjr is still 
"IBM-compatible.” A great deal of the 
software PC covers has at least a fighting 
chance of working on a PCjr. We’ll 
make an attempt to determine if products 
we review are PCjr-compatible, but the 
day of new hardware and software spe- 
cifically for the Junior is over. Have you 
been thinking about a memory sidecar or 
a new disk drive? Buy it now, because it 
won’t be there tomorrow. 

A Great Article 

My analysis of your letters was going 
to be a great feature article. I was plan- 
ning on dropping in on the people at IBM 


with my huge stack of letters. Iwas going 
to share some insights with them over 
your applications. They might have 
learned, at long last, how to market the 
little turkey. Don’t think for a minute, 
though, that I was going to be PCjr’s sav- 



Blll Machrone 


ior. You were. 

One of the strongest threads that ran 
through your letters was that you’re do- 
ing many of the same things with your 
PCjr at home that you do at work. Your 
boss should have bought the damn thing 
for you. He’s getting the direct benefit 
through your extended workday. Now 
before 1 get a bunch of letters from union 
organizers, let me point out that you’re 
doing it freely. Happily. Eagerly. 
Unexploitedly. After all, that’s what per- 
sonal computers are for — enhancing per- 
sonal productivity. 

Which is not to say that you don’t 
know how to let your hair down. Nearly 


everyone with a Junior knows how to 
have fun with it. None of you was 
ashamed to mention the games you en- 
joy. Not surprisingly. Flight Simulator 
was right at the top of the list, followed 
by King's Quest. 

You also recognize the educational 
value of having a computer at home, both 
for your kids and yourselves. Your let- 
ters, though, were evenly split on wheth- 
er or not the existing educational soft- 
ware was up to snuff. 

The other major theme that emerged is 
that you feel good about having gotten 90 
percent of the PC’s function at perhaps 
60 percent of the price. ‘‘1 saved 
$ 1 .000’ ’ was second only to ‘ ‘ You asked 
for it” as a recurrent phrase. You 
shopped smart, and you’re proud of it. 

Your Turn 

You took the time to write, and 1 read 
all of your letters. Here are some ex- 
cerpts that express common feelings 
well: 

I love small computers, and IBM fi- 
nally built the right one for me. 

— Wesley Steiner 

This is my fifth personal computer. I 
would love to have a PC or even an XT, 
but my wife would string me up. Where 
else are you gonna get MS-DOS, 
I28K, 16 bits, RGB monitor, serial 
port, game ports, and $200 worth of 
goodies for less than $ 1 ,000? My boss 
is impressed, my coworkers wonder 
how I get so much done, and I don’t 
work nearly as hard as they do. This is 
the first machine 1 have ever used that 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


81 



The #1 Multifunction Card Now Includes 


The Best Multifunction Card 
Just Got Better. We've 
enhanced our SixPakPlus 
multifunction card with a 
new extra feature; Borland's 
SideKick desktop manage- 
ment software. Now you can 
get the best the industry 
has to offer together in one 
package — in 1984 SixPakPlus 
was voted the #1 multifunc- 
tion card in PC World's World 
Class User Survey and 
chosen as Softsel's Best Selling 
New Product, while SideKick 
was selected as InfoWorld's 
Software Product of 
the Year. 


The Best In Performance. 

Over 400,000 satisfied cus- 
tomers will tell you SixPak- 
Plus provides the power for 
today's demanding require- 
ments, whether you use 
an IBM*PC, XT, 3270PC 
or compatible. 

First there's more memory— 
an additional 64K to 384K 
RAM — to process more data, 
or to run today's software 
programs such as the SideKick 
multipurpose software we've 
included. Our extra memory 
and SideKick's features also 
work beautifully with your 
other favorite software pack- 


ages like Lotus 1-2-3™ 
WordStar,® Symphony™ and 
dBASE 111™ 

Next, more Input/Output 
ports-one serial, one parallel 
and an optional game adap- 
ter— to add peripherals such 
as printers, modems, a mouse, 
plotters or joysticks. Then 
there's our built-in clock- 
calendar for automatic time 
and date stamping. 

And we've included another 
of our "World Class" award 
winners, SuperPak™ utility 
software. Selected top in its 
class for two consecutive years, 
SuperPak features Super- 




The #1 Desktop Management Software 


Drive™ which works like a 
drive but fifty times faster, 
and SuperSpool™ which lets 
you print and input at the 
same time. 

The Best in Quality. If the 

industry's lowest rate of return 
is a good indicator, then 
SixPakPlus can't miss when 
it comes to quality. And we 
back this dedication to quality 
with a dedication to service 
and support. The AST com- 
mitment even extends to 
documentation, with our 
comprehensive user informa- 


tion you'll find SixPakPlus 
is also the easiest to install 
and operate. 

It takes an industry stan- 
dard to advance the standard. 
When you want the best, 
look to AST's SixPakPlus— 
with the added value of 
SideKick software. For more 
information call our Cus- 
tomer Information Center 
(714) 863-1333. AST Research, 
Inc. 2121 Alton Avenue, 

Irvine, CA 92714 TWX: 753699 
ASTR UR. 


SIXPAKPLUS FEATURES 

• Includes SideKick Desktop Manappment 
Sofiuxtre 

• Memory Expansion to 384Kh. allowing total PC 
memory expansion to 640Kb 

• Serial port for connecting to a printer, mouse, 
modem or other asynchronous detices 

• Parallel port for use with parallel printer, plotters 

• Optional f^me adapter port -plug in Joysticks 
and other cursor-control detices 

• Battery hacked Clock/Calendar for automatic 


time and date stamping 
• AST’s SuperPak includes SuperDrive electronic 
disk and SuperSpool print spooler 



SufUriiM, SupvrRik.SuprrL>nvr uulSupcrtpiiol ir«<Jrnuri(« AST Rneanh, lot SvieKKk DJilniurli oflWirUnO Inirnutapful tHM >v|tnirrrd irjdmurh 

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EDITOR’S SCREEN 


my wife is not afraid of. 

— Steve Sims 

I bought about $5,000 worth of soft- 
ware for my company and a PCjr for my- 


self (with my own money, of course). 1 
am very impressed with my Junior. The 
graphics are better than any I have used, 
and the speed of execution is superb. 

— Pat Eldrige 


Although Junior-specific software de- 
serves some mention, all I need from 
your magazine is for the reviews to state 
whether it works on the Junior and the 
conftguration required. Although I was 
sorry to see the Junior magazines fold, I 
did not find them useful. They all as- 
sumed that owners were incapable of 
learning anything complicated. 

— ^Jerry Roger 

The addition of 384K and a second 
drive has made my Junior work like a 
charm. It runs WordStar and dBASE /// 
from the RAMdisk. The PC switch on 
the Rapport box ends the PC video-com- 
patibility problems. Would I buy a Junior 
again? I don’t know. However you look 
at it, I saved $1,000. 

— Mark Perloe 

I am in the Boston Computer Society’s 
PCjr Group. The typical setup has a 
Tecmarjr Captain board with the 64K chips 
removed and replaced with 256K chips for 
a total addressable memory of 640K. 

— Chris O’Connor 

I raised a family and recently went 
back to college to learn about computers. 

I got hooked and talked my husband into 
buying us one. We love our Junior. I 
don’t get to use it evenings and weekends 
any more. My husband did our taxes on 
it. Our 18-year-old does her homework 
on it and carries the disk to school. Our 
son wasn’t pleased with his SAT score, 
so we bought an SAT package, and he 
studied for a week. His score improved 
by 150 points. Our 13 year-old daughter 
does reports for school with Writing Aj- 
sistant and types in programs we find in 
magazines and books. IBM Product Cen- 
ter classes are quite expensive, so we 
learn by trial and error. 

— The Robert Johnson family 

If it does nothing else for me, it has 
made a job that after 7 years was becom- 
ing boring and not fun, fun again. 

— Paul S. Dickinson 

I hope you aren’t sorry you asked 
about the PCjr. It was fun telling you 
about it. 

— Thomas Catanzarom ■ 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 

Cc 


A letter quality printer 
for only $139.95... 
Printer Boss V5.0™ 


Printer Boss has been completely rewritten to 
give you super-fast operation, command-line input 
option, dazzling font design features and much, 
much more! Now you can take full advantage of 
the capabilities you paid for in your dot-matrix 
printer, on one piain-English menu, at the touch of 
a few keys. And everything can be controiled 
from an AUTOEXEC. BAT file! The a!!-new Printer 
Boss software inciudes 

double density letter quality printing 
quad density letter quality printing 
sideways printing of files over 100K 
RAM printer buffer up to 32K 
custom font design/normal 8x11 dot density 
custom font design/quad 16 x 24 dot density 
custom font designyLQ-15(X)/24 x 9 dot density 
custom font design/LQ-150(V24 x IS dot density 
custom font design/LQ-1 500(24 x 37 dot density 
custom fonts downloadable from menu 
unlimited custom font library 
live alternate IBM character sets 
screen dump and graphics characters 
Greek and math symbols 
full menu control of printer operation 
printer command string feature 
unlimited menu settings storage 
typewriter printing mode 

Printer Boss runs on the IBM-PC, PCjr, XT, AT and 
all compatibles with 1 28K RAM and one double- 
sided drive using PODOS 2.0, 2,1 , 3.0 or 
equivalent. 

Orders: Printer Boss $139.95. Unprotected 
backup $29.95. VISA, MC or send money order or 
check. Company purchase orders accepted. Ship- 
ping $4.00 per package, outside USA $15.00. 

COD add $2.00, USA only. Dealers welcome. 

Free brochure. 


Connecticut Software 

CONNECTICUT SOFTWARE SYSTEMS CORPORATION 
30 WILSON AVENUE 
ROWAYTON. CT 06853 

INFORMATION; 203 ^ 838-1844 
ORDERS: 800 - 321-0409 


RUNS ON 
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IBM Graphics 
Okidata ML-92 
Okidata ML-93 
Okidata 2410 
Panasonic KX-P1090 
Panasonic KX-P1091 
Panasonic KX-P1092 
Panasonic KX-P1093 
Panasonic KX-P1160 
CItoh 8510 
C Itoh 1550 
H-P Thinkjet 2225 
NEC P2 Pinwfiler 
NEC P3 Pinwfiter 
Star Oelta-10 
Star Deita-15 
Star Geminl-lOX 
Star Qeminl-15X 
Star Radix-10 
Star Radix-15 
Centronics GLP 
Centronics H-80 
Cal-Abco 1200 
Diablo P10 I 
Diablo P12 
Diablo P'32 
Olympia NP 
Riteman II 
Riteman 15 
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Mannesmann MT-tdO 
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CIRCLE 175 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


84 










Networking Raised to a 
Greater Power 


Advanced Technology. With it, IBM tripled the speed ol the 
PC and increased its memory capacity live-lold. Nowhere is 
this increase in computing power more important than in 
networking situations. If the AT's technological advances 
have prompted you to look into a multi-user network, you 
owe it to yourself to take a closer look at MultiLink 
Advanced " ... a unique multi-tasking, multi-user network- 
ing system that runs programs under PC-DOS 3 0. 

Eight Workstations for the Price of an AT. MultiLink 
Advanced " represents the next generation in networking 
systems for IBM microcomputers. The system enables ter- 
minals. connected to a single AT. to emulate IBM-PC s hav- 
ing up to 480K of RAM (The PC-Shadow "terminal, shown 
above, even has a PC look-alike, as well as work-alike, 
keyboard and display). 

This means lhat inslead of spending $3,000 per worksla- 
lion for a PC with a Kilobuck “Network Interface Board. ' you 
can use inexpensive terminals . . eight ol which cost less 
thah an IBM AT. Even if you need only one workstation 
connected to your AT. you'll realize significant savings. 


MultiLink Advanced "... Instant Access to All of Your 
Resources. Central to most multi-user situations is the 
need to coordinate a variety of printers. With what's been 
described by PC-Tech Journal as . . by far, the best print 
spooler for the IBM PC,' MultiLink Advanced " gives users 
the option to print either at their workstations, or at a central 
location. In addition, programs and files can be shared by 
multiple users locally or through use of a modem. Just think 
of it . . having remote access to an AT with a lightweight 
terminal modem. 

Although designed to take advantage ol Ihe AT, MultiLink 
Advanced " runs on all versions of PC-DOS. except 1 .0. and 
certain implementations of MS-DOS. A wide range of lead- 
ing programs are supported which include WordStar. 
dBASE III. Mulllmale, and Lotus 1-2-3. 

Get the Advanced Story Today. Call The Software Link 
Today for complete details and the dealer nearest you. Multi- 
Link Advanced ’ is immediately available at Ihe suggested 
retell price of $495 and comes wilh a money-back guaran- 
tee, VISA, MC, AMEX accepted. 


t lRin TH ON HI ADI K SI RVIC I C ARD 


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cr 


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THE SOFTWARE LINK, INC. 


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1^ A 


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Dealer Inquiries Invited 


o" 


i.iilmii.iiii i4 









Entering numeric data Into your PC 
Is a very serious, very tedious 
business. Since a lot of this work Is 
done by your fingers, doesn't It 
make sense to use a numeric 
keypad that was designed for the 
human hand? 

Touchstone 2"' is a professional 
productivity tool for people who 
enter and revise numeric data...ln 
spreadsheets, accounting systems. 
Inventory control and simlllar 
applications. 

Total ona-hand control 

The Touchstone 2 puts 53 key 
commands under the complete 
control of one hand. All of the most 
frequently used keys are accessible 
with a single touch, while a local 
shift key provides handy access to 
PgUp/Pgbn, Tab Left/Right, ten 
standard F-kevs, and other special 
control keys that you may need on 
an occasional basis. 

Dedicated cursor 
and page controls 

The cursor controls are always 
available right next to the number 
keys, and, at the touch of the local 
shift, they become page up and 
down, and tab left and right keys. 

All your favorite keys 
In one place 

UnshIfted percent and brackets for 
speedy entry of compound math; 
space, backspace, home, end, alt. 


To ordor by moll; Spocify PC moosi numbgr and peymant 
by C.0.0 . Vita. MaatarCard. or chack ancioaad. CradH card 
cuatomars lr>ciuda compiata card rtumbar and expiration 
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stata raaidants add 7H sales tax Oaaisr nqumss wsteoim. 


Ctrl, prt sc, and more; plus all ten 
standard function keys. 

Even a place for your macros 
To keep It compact, we couldn’t 
include the whole alphabet, but 
Touchstone 2 does have A, B, and C 
to use as handy and easily- 
remembered hooks for user-defined 
keyboard macros. 


Full-travel keyswitches are rated for 
50 million cycles; provide quiet yet 
positive feedback. Contacts are 
covered by a protective membrane 
to guard against dirt, dust and 
accidental spills. 

Touchstone 2: Built so well it 
carries a full one-year warranty and 
a 15-day unconditional guarantee. 


Entar numbers twica as fast 

Touchstone 2 data entry takes 
about 40% of the hand movement 
usually required with the standard 
PC keyboard. Even more Important, 
it eliminates the need to look for 
each digit as it is entered. 

Superior ergonomics 
Low-profile design meets DIN 
specs; reduces fatigue. Number pad 
has side-mounted Enter and math 
keys that conform to the traditional 
calculator layout. Heavy-duty case 
Is easily lap-portable, but won't 
slide around. Standard locating pip 
on 5 key helps keep fingers where 
they belong. 

Rollabis parformanca 
The Touchstone 2 has Its own 
unique microprocessor with 16- 
character buffer and patented Entry 
Error Elimination system. Next-key 
rollover feature ensures positive 
entry of every keystroke, even when 
a previous key has not been fully 
released. 


A plug-ln workmate for the 
IBM PC and many compatibles 

Split cable and standard connectors 
allow you to use the Touchstone 2 
alone or sIde-by-sIde with the main 
keyboard of your IBM PC or XT and 
many compatibles. Additional 
models available soon will be 
compatible with the IBM PC-AT, PC 
JR., and Compaq. 

An Investment 
In greater efficiency 

The all-new Touchstone 2 takes the 
tedium out of number-crunching; 
lets you concentrate on more 
challenging work. The time you’ll 
save will qu' ' ' 

Investment of $199.95. 
or phone for Immediate shipment, 
or ask for it at leading computer 
and software stores. 


quickly return your small 
■ Order by mall 


CALL TOLL FREE 

1 - 800 - 828-6968 

In N«w YMk. dial l-a(»4a2-4Ml 



955 Buffalo Road • P.O. Box SASSA 
Rocheeter. New York 


aRCLE 506 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


nrogramc 

I P ■ L ■ U ■ S ^ 


Stotionhouse Square, 2505 AAain Street, Stratford, Conn. 06497 


Inquiries & Conn, residents call (203) 378-3662 or 376-8293 


Business Software 

AIPKA SOFTWAK 

Dotabose Monoger It 165.00 

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ATI 

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ASHTON TAn 

FroiMworV . CsR 

dint IN CoH 

Wl 

Ctntrol Acc./AI/AP/Pt 049.00 

CDEX 

Troifiing Progrpim (it.) 41.00 

COMPUSfIVf 

Cwngustm Slorter KH 23.00 

CONTMNTAl SOFTWAIS 

P w ^fty Honagtmtnl 279.00 

FCM 69.00 

MW JONES 

Hvktl Honogci 139.00 

HoHctl AfMtyiar 199.00 

SfraodihMt UhIi 119.00 

Horictl Hicrtuofit 199.99 

FOX t GEllEI 

dUHl 39.00 

Qukkcode or dGraph (to.) . . . 112.00 

HARVAID 

Praitct Monogtr 210.00 

HOWAB son 

ltd Estolt Anolyitr II 165.00 

HUmAN EDGE SC^AH 

Mind Ptditr 31.00 

CeoMiWAkations Edgt 115.00 

Sdn Edgt 141.00 

Monogtmtnl Edgt 141.00 

NtgoHotian Edgt 175.00 

KENSINGTON 

Emy Link Moil Monogtr 56.00 

UHTKE SOFTWAIS 

VoHiswrittr Otluit 149.00 

LIVING VRJEOTEXT 

TMnk Tank 99.00 

LOTUS DEVELOPMENT 

Lota l-X-S Can 

Syiffbony bU 

MAM STKIT SOFTWAIS 

Moin Strttt HItf 73.00 

MKKO DATA lASE SYSTEMS 

Knowltdgt Mon 279.00 

MKNPKO 


MKIOIliM 
AIom 4000 


Microsoft Word w/Movst . 
MICIOSTUF 

Cmstdk XVI 

MULOMATE INT. 


KAOmSE 

Bock to Inits CL/AK/AP . 


PNRSSIONAL SOFTWAIS 


SOFTWAKE ARTS 

TX! Soivtf 225.00 

Spotlight 85.00 

SOFTWARE PUBLiSMHG 

PFS:Filt 79.00 

PFS:Wrilt 79.00 

PFS:Croph 

PFSilt^ 7lJ 

PFS:Plon 79.00 

PFSiPreof or Acciss 
(to.) , . , . 54. 

SORCIM/tUS 
SuptrCok n 
I49JM 


Blank Media 

((K DS DO (10) 15.00 

BASF OS/DD (10) 13.00 

Eltphoni OS/00 (10) 13.00 

Maxell DS/DO (10) MM 

Vtrbotim DS/OD (10) 22.00 

3M 05/00 (10) 25.00 



Super 
Cok3 .. 

. 205.1 
Eny Writtr 
Sysitm . . 205.00 
6L, AR, AP, CE or 
(to.) . . . 299X10 
STONEWARE 

Advonctd OB Mnttr . 279.00 
VISKORP 

FInhCdc 53.00 

WARNER 

The Onk Orgoaizer 115.00 

Home/Educorionol 

Tobin' Monoging Tevr Monty. 109.00 
DoHon 3 ScMt «/F«r»cnl. . 

Home Accountant Plus 

Tu Advantoge 39.00 

Bank Strttt Writtr 43.00 

^hl Sirnuiotor 32.00 

Jim Hx Running Program ... 43.00 

SpMd Rtodtf II 45.00 

MnttrTypt 26.00 

Typing Tutor III 30.00 

Turbo Tutor 23.00 

Printers 

BROTNER 

HI-1$XL 379.00 

HI-3S 359.00 


99.00 

85.00 


MANNESMAN TAUT 

Spirit/I60/1BO 

NEC 

SpHivrittr 20S0 

Spinwrittr 3SS0 

OXBATA 

MkroBitt 93P 

Mkreline 93P 

Mkrobnt I4P 

MkroUnt 34)OP 

OLYMPU 


655X10 

995.00 

359.00 

575.00 

669.00 
1819.00 


Word Phis Jr. 

SATELITE SOFTWARE 


24S.00 

CJTOH 


Cempoct R/0 Pw./Sif. . . 

339.00 


Preinittr 8510-P 

.. 299.00 

PANASOMC 



Prawrittr 1S$0-P 

. 449.00 

KXP-IW 

. . . 209.00 


Stofwriter FIO-AOP 

. 859.00 

KXP1091 

. . . 299.00 

135X10 

Stwwriter F10-S$P 

. 1,025X10 

KXP-im 

. . . 399.00 


OTIZENS 


RXP-1093 

579.00 

115X10 

MSP-10 (160ept) 

. 339.00 

OUME 


149X10 

MSP-IS (I60cpi) 

. . 519.00 

Sprint H/SSPIus 

. . . M7S.OO 


MSP-20 (200c^) 

. 479.00 

SILVER REED 



MSP-3S (200cps) 

649.00 

EXP-400P 

249.00 


DIABLO 


IXP-500P 

309.00 


630 API 

CoH 

EXP-SSOP 

329.00 


EPSON 


EXP-770P 

759.00 

259.00 

« mf/t u. . - 

Coll 

STAR MKMNKS 



IX-lOO 

Cal 

SG IO (120cpi} 

... 235.00 

149X10 

FX-KH- 

Col 

SG-IS (ITOcps) 

. . . 395.00 

195.00 

fX-lOIH- . 

Cdl 

St-10 (200cp) 

.. 495.00 


j|.gg Lew! Lew! 

Cal 

$M$(200cps} 

595.00 

224X10 

lQ-1500 Prites . . , 

Cal 

PevrerType 

329.00 

BS.00 

JUKI 


TOSHBA 



6100 (IBcps) 

. . 399.00 

P-1340 Piinlei 

. . 579.00 

225.00 

6200 (40cps) 

. 769.00 

P-1351 Primer 



Utilities 

DORUND 

Sidtkick 32.00 

Sidtkick Copioble .... 49.00 

Turbo PoKd 32.00 

Turbo Toobu 32.00 

ONTRAL POINT 

Copy II K 22.00 

DIGITAL RESEARCH 

CP/M8A 49.00 

C BASIC Compiltr 339.00 

Concurronl PC DOS 165.00 

Or.Ofow 165.00 

Or. Logo 35.00 

FUNK SOFTWARE 

Sideways 35.00 

MKROSOn 

Mocro Asstmblor 65X10 

Business BASK CompHer 265X10 

( Compiltr 299X10 

COBOL Compiler 419.00 

FORTRAN Compiltr 209.00 

PASCAL Compiler 179X10 

MOUSE SYSnMS 

K Point 53.00 

PETER NORTON 

Norton IMitits 3X1 50.00 

Rosison 

PiekoylO. 75X10 

Modems 

ANCHOR AUTOMATION 

Mark XH 1200 235.00 

HAYES 

1200B 329.00 

12008 w/Softworo 355.00 

Smortmodom 300 (txttrnol) . 135.00 
Smortmodom 1200 (extomol) . 385.00 
MKROCOM 

ERA2hittmolPC2400w/Saft.. 555.00 
NOVATION 

Cot Comm Ceramunkatiens 

Internal w/Softwort 309.00 

(et Comm Communkotians 

Eittmol w/SoFtwort 319.00 

PROMETHEUS 

ProMedtm 12008 w/Softwort . 2S9.00 


Accessories/Boards 

AST 

Sii Pock Plus (64K) 245.00 

Combe Phis II 265.00 

CURTIS 

Dkimond 32.00 

Ruby 59.00 

Emtrnld 39.00 

Soppkire 52.00 

HAYES 

Hoyts Moth II 27.00 

Hoyts M«h Mi 34.00 

HERCUUS 

Graphics Cord (Mono.) 289.00 

Color Cord 145.00 

IOMEGA 

Btrmulli Box 10 MB 1,920.00 

Bernoulli Box 20 MB (2-10 MB) 2639.00 
KENSINGTON 

Mnterpiect 89.00 

KEYTRONK 

KB-SISO Typrarittr Ktybeord . )S9.00 
KI-SISI Dtkixt Xtybo^. . . 169.00 
KOAU 

KodoPod 89.00 

Gome Pert Cord 34.00 

Speed Key CentroHir Card. . . . 33.00 

Speed Key Td>ltl w/Saftwore . 113.00 
MOUSE SYSTEMS 

PC Meuse w/Sehworc A Point. 13S.00 
PARADISE SYSTEMS 

Multi Display Cord 279.00 

Modular Grophits Cord 259.00 

Potdlel Printer Pert 62.00 

PCRSYST 

PC/Monochreme Beard 169.00 

PC/Celet Grophics Boord . . 169.00 

QUADRAM 

Expended Quedboerd (OOK). . . 225.00 
Expended Quedboerd |64K). . . 255.00 

Ouedcoler 1 109.00 

STB 

Super - Be" (MK) 269.00 

lio-Ptus M (64K) 249.00 

Super I/O 149.00 

Gr^ks Plus n . . 2S9.00 

TAU6RASS 

Hurd Olive Sub Systtms CoH 

TECMAR 

Coptoin Bewd (64K) 1B9.00 

Grophics Mniti 479.00 

Monitors 

AMOEK 

Video 30I1G 119X10 

Video 300A 125.00 

Video 310A 149.00 

Cder 300 239.00 

Color 600 415X10 

Cder 710 559.00 

PRINaTON 

MAX-12 Amber TTl 169.00 

HX.12 465.00 

SR 12 595.00 

SeonDou6ltrBeord(hirSR-I2). . IBS.00 
QUADRAM 

Quodchrome (12") 455.00 

Ouodchrome II (14") 425.00 

ArabefchnMne(12")nL . . . 159.00 

TAXAN 

12Mrm-6rten 119X10 

122-ir TTl-Amber 125.00 

420-IOB Color 309.00 

440-R06Color 539.00 


Blue Chip, Infocom, Microlab, Sega, Sierra, Sir-Tech, SSI, CBS, Caunterpoint, Designware, DIM, Eduware, 
Leoming Co., Scarborough, Scholostic, Spinnaker, and oil other manufacturers— in stock— CALL for lowest prices. 



For Fnt delivery send ceshier's check, certified check or money erdei. Ptrsood ond cempony checks allow 3 weeks to (leer. Shipping -Seftwore (S2.SII min.) COXI. odd on 
odditiend SI.7S. Shipping-Hordwert (pitost coH). Alosko, Howoii, Conode, PO. APO end FPO SS.OO min. Foreign erdtis-SIS.OO min. end 15% of oN erdits ever S1W. Mostercord 
3 Vise (indude cord « ond expiration dote). Connecticut rtstdenis odd 7.S% soles toL We ship some doy for most orden. PIKES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. All 
ftturm must hove e return outhoriiiitien number. Col 203-373-3642 to obtoin one before returning goods for replectmont. MOT lESPONSIBlE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. 

Note; All products we new ond include foctory woiranty, therefen ALL soles we And. Defective hordware or soflwwi wiH be leploctd by the some item only. Wt do not 
guwnmlee cempelibility. Products purchosed in error wHI not be txchonged w repleced. Advertisement preportd April 15, 198$. 


CIRCLE 188 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




Service the way you like it — Ws 


HARDWARE 


AST RESEARCH 

AST 6 PACK PLUS 64K 249.95 

For game port option add 34.95 
AST 6-PACK PLUS 384K . 379.95 

CURTIS 

SURGE PROTECTORS 

Diamond 32.95 

Ruby 59.95 

Emerald 42.95 

Sapphire 49.95 

DATASHIELO POWER BACK UP 
PC-200 200 watt (for PC) . . 295.00 

XT-300 300 watts (for XT) . . . 399.00 
AT-500 500 watts 649.00 

DCA INC. 

Irma Board 3278 Emulation. .899.95 
KEYTRONICS 

New! KB-5151 keyboard . . . .169.95 
KENSINGTON 

Masterpiece 109.95 

KOALA 

Koala Pad 89.95 

Game Port Card 39.95 

Speed Key System 114.95 

MOUSE SYSTEMS 
Pc Mouse with PC Paint . . .139.95 

QUADRAM QUADBOARD 
New! Expanded Quadboard 
64K 249.95 384K 399.95 

TALLTREE SYSTEMS 
J RAM-2 w/paraliel. serial & 
clock GK 249.00 

TECMAR 

CAPTAIN-64K 194.50 

CAPTAIN-364K 349.95 


64K Memory Upgrade Set .23.95 

256K Memory set 89.95 

Intel 8087 129.95 


VERSATRON 

Footmouse 149.00 


DISK DRIVES 


TANDON TM-100-2 DS/DD 

disk drive 104.95 

TEAC 55B Vj Height DS/DD 
disk drive 55B 112.95 


HARD DISK DRIVES 

FOR IBM PC 

IOMEGA BERNOULLI BOX 
20 MB (2-10 MB in cabinet) .2549.00 
FI)(T Autoboot ROM f/above . . 94.95 
TALLGRASS 

Hard drive sub system with backup. 

New! TG-5025 2795.00 

Includes interface card tor IBM PC 

DISPLAY CARDS 

AST Monograph Plus parallel/serial 
and clock calendar. Lotus 1-2-3 graph- 


ics compatible 399.95 

EVEREX 

Graphics Edge 329.95 

HERCULES 

Color Card 169.95 

Graphics Card (Mono.) 309.95 

MICRO MAX 

COLORMAX Color/Monochrome Card 

w/parallel port 229.95 

PARADISE 

Modular Graphics Card 269.95 

TECMAR 

Graphics Master 479'.00 


MODEMS 

ANCHOR AUTOMATION 


Volksmodem 12 179.95 

Cable for PC, Compaq 11.95 

HAYES 

Smartmodem 1200 RS-232. . .409.95 
Smartmodem 1200B Internal 

with Smartcom II 359.95 

Smartmodem 2400 Baud Call 

NOVATION 

1200 -k Internal Modem 359.95 

1200 External Modem . . . .359.95 
Both include Mite software 

VEN-TEL 

PC '/? Card Modem-(lnternal) 

w/Crosstalk XVI 389.95 

1200 Plus-External 300/1200 . 369.95 

MONITORS 

PRINCETON 

HX-12 Hi-res RGB Color 469.95 

MAX-12E Amber TTL 179.95 

QUADRAM 

Amberchrome 12" Amber TTL149.95 
TAXAN 

440-RG8 594.95 

BoB board for 440 449.95 

420-RGB color 419.95 

425-RGB color 429.95 

122-12' TTL - Amber for PC .139.95 
121-12' TTL - Green for PC . 149.95 

TATUNG 13' RGB 429.00 

AMDEK 

600 Color RGB 419.00 

700 Color RGB 509.95 

710 Color RGB 569.95 

FLOPPY DISKS 

SS/DD DS/DD 
KODAK 5 V4 " no pk, .. 19.95 24.95 

IBM 5V4" (fOfl*; 27.95 

MAXELL 5V4' 18.95 24.95 

FUJI 5V4"(f0p*j 17.95 24.95 

NASHUA 5V4" <rop*j .15.95 17.95 


PRINTERS 

BROTHER 

HR-15 17 CPS 369.00 

HR-25 23 CPS 649.00 

HR-35 36 CPS 899.00 

Tractor Feed f/HR-15, HR-25 .124.95 

Sheet Feeder HR-15/25 199.95 

EPSON 


CALL FOR OUR SPECIALS 
ON ALL EPSON PRINTERS 
JUKI 

6100 18 CPS Letter Quality . . 399.95 


6300 40 CPS 749.95 

NEC 

8850 letter quality 1795.00 

3550 letter quality 33 CPS . . 1379.00 
2050 letter quality 18 CPS . . .699.95 

Tractor Feed 3550/2050 209.95 

OKI DATA 

OKI-192 349.95 

OKI-193 519.95 

OKI-93 569.95 

OKI-84 Call 

OKI 2410 1995.00 

OLYMPIA 

Compact R/O parallel/serial 

letter quality 349.95 

PANASONIC 

KXP-1090 80 CPS F/T 209.95 

KXP-1091 120 CPS F/T 299.95 

SILVER REED 

EXP-550 19 CPS 439.95 

EXP-770 36 CPS 799.95 

Tractor Feed for EXP-550 . . .124.95 
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS 

855 with Tractor Feed 799.95 

TOSHIBA 

P-351 Printer (288 cps) 1249.00 

P1340 Printer 579.00 


IBM-PC HARD DRIVE SYSTEMS 



• IBM-PC 256K 

• 10MB internal hard drive 

• 360K disk drive 

• 1.2MB disk drive 

$279500 

• IBM-PC 256K 

• 10MB internal 
hard drive 

• 360K disk drive 

$239500 

• IBM-PC 256K 

• 20MB internal hard drive 

• 360K disk drive 

• 1.2MB disk drive 

• 140 watt power supply 

$ 3295 ®° 


• IBM-PC 256K 

• 20MB internal hard drive 

• 2— Vi-ht 360K disk drives 

• 45MB internal cartridge 
backup system 

• 140 watt power supply. 

$429500 


TURN 1 IBM-PC INTO 4 

Turn your IBM PC or XT into a true Multi-user system with 
Muiti-PC. Up to 4 users can share a singie PC, running the 
same or different software all under PC DOS. Ideal for the 
small office. 

Call for Details 


SOFTWARE 


ALPHA 

Electric Desk 199.95 

Data Base Manager H 169.95 

Keyworks (Alphakey) 69.95 

APPLIED SOFTWARE TECH 

Versaform XL 79.95 

ASHTON TATE 

D base II 259.95 

Ashton Tate D BASE III 349.95 

Ashton Tate Framework . . . .349.95 

BORLAND 

Turbo Pascal 29.95 

Side Kick (protected) 29.95 

Side kick (non-protected) 49.95 

BREAKTHROUGH 

Time Line 264.95 

BRODERBUND 

Bank Street Writer 54.95 

BRIGHTBILL ROBERTS 
Grafix Partner 84.95 

DATATRANSFORMS 
Fontrix 79.95 

DOW JONES 

Investment Evaluator 99.95 

Market Analyzer (/eg. color cardi229.9S 

Market Manager plus 164.95 

Spread Sheet Link 164.95 

DAYFLO 

Dayflo 1.1 (XT/256K) 339.95 

ENERTRONICS 

Energraphics (req. color card)2Z9.50 

FOX & GELLER for D Base 

Quick Code' 139.95 

Dutil* 44.50 

D Graph- 149.95 

'For D Base II or III. Please specify 

OZ (rep. 256K & color card) 209.95 

R Graph (for R Base 4000) 149.95 


FUNK SOFTWARE 
Sideways 44.95 

HARVARD SOFTWARE 
Harvard Proi^t Manager ...209.95 
New! Total Project Manager .259.95 

IMSI 

PC Paintbrush requires 
mouse i color card 79.95 

INFOCON 

Cornerstone 329.95 

INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE 
Smart Software System Call 

LIFE TREE 

Volkswriter Deluxe 159.95 

LIFE BOAT 

Dr. Halo 64.95 

LIGHTYEAR 

Lightyear Call 

LIVING VIDEOTEXT 
Think Tank (req. 256K) 109.95 

MECA 

Managing Your Money 99.95 

Jim Fixx Running Program . . .47.50 

MENLO PARK 

In Search 339.95 

MICRO DATA BASE SYSTEMS 
Knowledge Man 1.7 239.95 

MICRO PRO 

Wordststar Pro Pack 239.95 

Wordstar 2000 239.95 

MICRORIM 

R Base 4(X)0 (requires 256K) . . .259.95 

Extended Reportwriter 96.50 

New! Clout 2.0 139.95 

MICROSOFT 

Chart 154.95 

New! Flight Simulator 34.95 

Multiplan 129.95 

Word 2.0 239.95 






PC-June 11, 1965 


standard with everything we seXL 


COMPAQ PORTABLE SYSTEMS 



• 256K 

• Two DS/DD disk drives 

• Built-in hi-res 
monitor with graphics 

• Parallel printer card 

• DOS 

Call or write. 
COMPAQ PORTABLE HARD DRIVE SYSTEMS 

COMPAQ with 10MB Hard Drive and 1-360K Fioppy ’2995“ 

COMPAQ w/IOMB Hard Drive and 2-360K Vi Height Drives ’3395" 

COMPAQ W/20MB Hard Drive and 2-360K ’/, Height Drives ’3795" 

COMPAQ DESK PRO, Call or write. 


LOW POWER INTERNAL HARD DRIVES FOR IBM/PC 

10 MB inlernal '.6 height hard drive 
with controller. Auto t^l from hard 
drive. DOS 2.X compatible. 

*629 


Mow Only '' 


20 MB internal Vi height hard drive for 
PC. Auto boot from hard drive, DOS 2.X 
compatible. 

*895 


Now Only ' 


HAVE A BYTE FOR LESS THAN A PENNY 

10 megabyte external hard drive subsystem for the IBM PC or XT complete in cabinet 
with power supply, controller card and software. 

Only *495 LIMITED QUANTITY 


MSI CARTRIDGE BACK-UP SUBSYSTEM 


Low cost high capacity 2SM6 cartridjK tape back-up system for the IBM PC/XT com- 
Diete in cabinet with ^wer supply. Connects to IBM floppy controller card. Will not 
use a slot in your PC, Back-up and restore individual files or an entire disk. 



Now Only 

* 888 ®« 


MfCROSTUF 

Crosstalk XVI 

. 99.95 

SCARBOROUGH 

Your personal net worth . . . 

.69,95 

Remote 

MONOGRAM 

. 109.95 

SIMON & SCHUSTER 
Tvpinq Tutor III 

. 34.95 

Dollars and SenSe New! . 

. .109.95 

J.K. Lasser Tax Program . . . 

49.95 

MULTIMATE 

Multimate Version 3.3 ... 

. . 249.95 

SOFTSTYLE 

SET-FX - 1 - (f/Epson FX printers)49.95 

NOUMENON 

Intuit Integrated Software . . 

. . . 69.95 

Printworks 

SORCIM 

.48.95 


Supercaic 3 Release 2 

169.50 


OSPREY ACCOUNTING SYSTEM 

Accounts Receivable 219.95 

Accounts Payable 219.95 

General Ledger 219.95 

Inventory 219.95 

Sales 219.95 

Invoicing 219.95 

PETER NORTON 

Norton Utilities 3.0 54.95 

POWER BASE SYSTEMS 
Power Base 2.0 249.95 

PRENTICE HALL 

Execuvision (req. color cord). . .259.95 


SOFTWARE PUBLISHING 
PFS FILE . .84.95 PFS Graph 84.95 
PFS Report 79.95 PFS Write . 84.95 

SSI 

Word Perfect Vers. 4.0 239.95 

STATE-OF-THE-ART 
The Bookkeeping System . . .359.95 

General Ledger 389.95 

Accounts Payable 389.95 

Accounts Receivable 389.95 

Inventory Control 389.95 

Order Entry 389.95 

Budget & Finance Report . . . 349.95 
Sales Invoicing (Reg. Acc Reel 349.95 


PROGRAMMER'S CORNER 


Lattice-C Compiler 295.95 

P-Fix 86 Plus Debugger 299.95 

C-Food Smorgasboard 109.95 

Morgan Prof. Basic 79.95 

Lattice Windows 219.95 

Trace 86 99.95 

Panel for Lattice-C 219.95 

Halo f/Uttice-C 149.95 

P-Mate Text Editor 159.95 

B-Trieve 195.50 

Plink-86 Overlay Linker 299.95 

X-Trleve 169.95 

Mark Williams C 395.00 

QUARTERDECK 

Desq 279.95 

ROSESOFT 

Prokey 3.0 84.95 


SOFTWARE ARTS 

TK Solver 259.95 

Spotlight 89.95 

THE SOFTWARE GROUP 
Enable 349.95 

THOUGHTWARE 
Assessing Personal Management 

Skills 239.95 

Managing Time Effectively ..299.95 

Leading Effectively 299.95 

Trigger 339.95 

VM COMPUTING 

Relay Communication 99.50 

WARNER SOFTWARE 
Desk Organizer 119.95 

WESTERN UNION EASY LINK 
Instant Mail Manager 59.95 


No surcharge for 
credit cards.l 





MSI 

i 




efficient service. 

Extensive inventory 
of PC products. 


• Knovuledgahle 
and experienced 
sales staff. 

We stock an extensive inventory on; 

IBM PC/XT/AT®, Apple®, AT&T®, Kaypro®, 
Compaq®, Olivetti®, Canon® and Sanyo®. 


Remember Our Name — It's all the Memory You Need. 



A Division of 47st. Photo inc. 


67 W. 47th St. • 115 W. 45th St. 

NYC CA Lie. # 800189 / 691860 NYC CA LIC. # 800191 

11R M^ICCfill Qt Near City Hall and 

I lO I^OwwClU the World Trade Center 

Computer Annex around the corner, 39 Ann Street 

Mail Order Address; 36 E. 19th St., New York, N.Y. 10003 

"sScr.* 1-212-260-4410 

STORE NUMBER 1-212-608-693^ 


c;?SS-Se 1-800-221-7774 

store Hours: Sunday 104, Mon. thru Thurs. 9-6, Friday 9-2 

We accept MC, Visa, American Express & personal checks (no delays if 
approved). Minimum shipping and handling *5.95. Software found to be defec- 
tive will be replaced immediately. Defective hardware will be repaired or replaced 
at our discretion within the warranty period of manufacturer. Defective items 
must be sent to 36 East 19th Street, New York, N.Y. 10003. Att: Service Dept. 
Prices herein are for mail and phone orders only. Store prices may differ. Some 
items are subject to availability. Due to manufacturers price fluctuations, the 
prices may change beyond our control. This ad supersedes all previous PC ads. 
Not responsible for typographical errors. 

Keep in touch with the latest items on the market and our up-to-date sale 
prices by checking our weekly ads in the National editions of the N.Y. Times 
and Wall Street Journal. 


IBM* Is a regislefed irademafk of Inlarnalional Business Machines Inc 
PC Masulne May 28. SubmiKed Match 28. 1985 


CIRCLE 242 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



Get the best of both worlds: 
Price and Personalized Service! 


SOFTWARE 


Alpho Software 

ESP $529 

Electric Desk (PC) $209 

Electric Desk (Jr) 199 

Arroyt Inc 

Home Accft + $ 90 

Home Acct't + w/ 

Tok Advntg $139 

Ashton-Tate 

d-Bose II Coll 

d Base III (v. 1.1) Coll 

Ffomework (v. 1.1) Coll 

Ref.Encyclopedio $ 55 

BP) 

Personol Acct'g $ 69 

Borland 

Side Kick $ 37 

Cdex 

All Troining Prog's. eo $ 49 

Centrol Point 

Copy II PC $ 34 

CompuView 

V-Print $ 99 

V-Spell 99 


Conrsecticut Software 

PHnter Boss NEW v. 5 $ 99 

Conurmer Softwore, IrK. 

Spreod Sheet Auditor. $ 69 

Decision Resources 


Chort-Moster $245 

Sign-Moster 175 

Digital AAarfcetirsg 

Gronvnotik $ 60 

Proofreoder 42 

Dow Jones 

Moffcet Mgr + $189 

Ecosoft, Inc 

Microstot $239 

Emergirtg Technology 

Wordix (formatter) $139 

Prof Writers' Pkg 319 

Enertronics 

Energrophics $219 

w/ Plotter Option 279 

Fostware 

Thor $245 

Rnancier, IrK. 

Financier II $119 

Tox Series 105 


Fox A Geller 

Grafox $159 

R-Groph (for 

R-bose4000) 159 

dGraph II or III 159 

Quick Code II or III ... 159 

Quick Report 159 

dUtil II or III 58 

Funk Software 
Sidewoys $ 40 

FYI 

Superfile $139 

FYI 3000 259 

Horvord Associates 

PC Logo $ 99 

Harvard Software 

Project Monoger $249 

Totol Project Mgr X9 

Hayes 

Smortcom II $ 95 

Howord Soft 

Tax Preporer Call 


HyperGraphks Corp. 


Authoring Graphics.... $299 
Presentotion Grophics . 279 
Object Librories....ea 49 

Individual Software 

Prof. DOS $ 47 

Prof. Pixel 47 

IrmovoHve Softwore 
Fast Grophs $229 

Lifetree Software 

Volkswriter Deluxe $155 

Volkswnter Scientific .... 299 
Living Videotext 
Think Tonk (256K) $119 

MDBS, Inc. 

Knowledge Mon $275 

K Groph 139 

KText 109 

K Paint 65 

K Report 139 

Menlo Corp. 

In-Seorch $279 

MicroPro 

W5 ProPok (WS, 

CS.MM. SI) $255 

WordStar 175 

WordStar 2000 255 

Wordstor 2000+ 295 

Mkrorim 

R;8ase $265 

R:Bose Clout 139 

Report Writer 95 


Microsoft 

Flight Simulotor $ 39 

Chort 159 

MjMattVMuSirrp (DOS) 179 

Project 169 

Multiplan 1.20 

(MS/DOS) $129 

Word 1.15 pOS) 229 

Others Call 

Mkrostuf 

Crosstolk $ 99 

Multimote Systems Inc 

Multimate (Vers 3.3)... $265 
North American 
Memory Shift $79 

Northwest Analytical 

Stotpok $329 

Oasis 

Word PI us $110 

ftxictuation A Style.... 99 

Office Solutions 

Office Writer Call 

Open Systems 

Acct'g Programs .. ea $379 

Peachtree Softwore 

Bock to Bosks 


Acct'g System $219 

PeochPok 4 

(GL, AP. AR) $229 

S^ies 8, eo mod 359 

Phase Two Software 

The Tool Kit 30 

PowerBose Systems, Inc 

Power-base w/ 

DATAZOOM $249 

Prentice Hal 

VCN Execuvision $259 

Quodram-Quodsoft 

Tox Strategist $209 

Investment Strategist .. 209 

4-1-1 Retrievol Syst 99 

Deadline Mgr 99 

Doto Bose Mgr 139 

Select Write: 

WdProclOl 69 

Freestyle 199 

Key II 69 

Starter Kit/Symphony. 89 
Guide to Writir^ 

Business Plon 39 

Samna Corp. 

Word III $329 

SPl Open Access $319 


Sotelite Software 

Doto (sm doto bose).. $139 
Word Perfect v/ Sp... 229 


Word Perfect Jr 49 

Others Coll 


Seasorsed Systems, Inc 

SureStroke/Dvorok (SW 
conversion of keyboord 
QWERTY to Dvorok; 
Ororak to QWERTY). $ 75 


Softcorp, Inc 

PRO-JECT 6 

. Coll 

Softcroft 

ForKry Fonft (V 2.0) .... 

$135 

Softstyle 

Printworks. 

$ 49 

Software Arts 

TK! Solver. 

$265 


109 

Software Publishing 

(Jr Compatible) 

PFS: Access, Proof. eo 

$ 59 

PFS: File, Groph, 

Plan. Write eo 

89 

PFS: Report eo 

79 

Star Software 

Accounlirsg Portrser.... 

$219 

Acctg Portrser II 

599 

Supersoft 

S 69 

Scratchpad Plus 

159 

The Software Group 


$459 

Thoughtwore 

Trigger 

$329 


Warner Software 

(Jr Compalible) 

Desk Organizer $129 


Westminster Software 

Pertmoster Coll 

. . . and many more! 


PCjr 

ACOSSORIES 


KeyTronk 

KB 5150 > $169 

KB 5151 Jr 173 

KB 5149 (Nurrveric 
Keypad) 89 


Ugocy 

Legocy 1 S239 

legocy II 479 

Quadrom 
Quod Jr 

Exp Qrassis $529 

Quad Jr Exp Mem 

(forChossis) 219 

C^odmem Jr 128K.... Coll 

iKmar 

Jr. Captain 

(128K.CP) $319 


PC 

PROGRAMMERS 


CORNER 

Borland 

Turbo Pasco! $ 37 

CompuView 

Vedif SI 30 

Ved.t+ 179 

Digital Research 

C Basic Comp 

(CB-86) $339 

CorKurrent CP/M 

w/ Windows 1 19 

CoTKurrent DOS ... 179 

CPM-86 45 

Display Mgr 299 

Fortran 77-DOS 

or CP/M. 279 

Personol Bosic 99 

Emerging Technology 
Edix (edifori $139 

Heritage 

Smartkey 11+ S 75 

Microsoft 

C Compiler $319 

Poscol Comp 1 99 

Basic Comp 249 

Morgan Computing 

Prof Basic S 79 

Trace 86 99 

Peter Norton 
Norton Util 3.0 $ 59 

Supersoft 

Fortron $209 

Lifeboat 

Lattice Windows ... $209 

Run C 99 

Dr Holo (Graphics) 79 
PMote 159 






BOARDS 

Memory CNpi .... S 36 
AST Reteardi 

Six Pak Plus 64K (S&R 

Ok, exp to 384K] $265 

MegaPlus 64K, (O/Col, 


S Port. 512K cop 

w/ Ategopok) $269 

Megopok 256K exp... Coll 

Mor^roph Plus Coll 

CC-232 289 

Preview Bd 267 

Advontoge (AT) 449 

Moynard Electronia 

Floppy Drive Cntrir.... $119 

w/ Por Port 169 

w/SerPort 179 

Sondstor Coll 


PC 

NETWORKING 

iPtease call for con- 
figurohons and prices.) 

AST Reseordt 

PC 002 NET 


Siorler Kit $799 

Corvus Coll 


Orchid Technologies 

The Orchid Blossom' 
boord (to 384K, Clk, 
w/ obrm. SAP ports, 
ram disk A disk 
coching, upgrodeoble 


to PCNet) Coll 

Quodrom Coll 

Add I Networking 
Products Coll 


Quodrom 

Quodboord 64K, (exp 
3B4K. Clk/Col, SAP).. $255 
AAicrofozer Stock Printer 

-P/P 8K $139 

-S/P 8K (exp 64K only) 149 
■S/S 6K (exp 64K only) 149 
Quodlink 64K Mem... 385 
Quodport-AT Storter.. 109 
Quodmeg-AT 1 MEG. 1879 
Pollette Moster 
(256 colors) 499 


Quodrom (Continued) 
Quodgroph 

(mon^grophics) 379 

Quodview (RS, Cl/Col, 

Soft Font, w/ Ed Sft) . 269 
Ouodsprint (doubles 
proc speed PC or XT) 489 


Quoddisk Coil 

Quodtope Coll 


Mox Poq (short cd).... Coll 
Asher (voice/doto bd). Coil 
All Other Products .... Coll 
Tecmor 

Coptoin's Bd (w/64K).. $299 


1st Mote 259 

2nd Mote 250 

3rd Mote 379 


DISPLAY CARDS 

Fredericks/ Plort- 
tronics Colorplus . 

.$389 

Hercules 

Graphics Boord ... 

.$339 

Porodise 

Modulor Display 
Cord 

.$309 

Quodrom 

Quodcolor 1 

.$199 

Quodcolor li 

. 389 

TecrvKir 

Grophics Moster .. 

.$479 


DISKDRIVES 


Half High 

Disk Drives Coll 

CDC 1800 Coll 

Corvus HD Coll 

I'OmeM 

BerrKxjIli Box Coll 

Moynord HD Coll 


Mountoirv Inc 

35MB HD w/ 27MB 
tope bock -up — or 
35MB HD v^ 60MB 
tope bock-up 

For more info Coll 

Tolgrau Coll 

(for Wisconsin customers) 
Ibmion TM-100-2.' Coll 


Moynord Bectronics 
Moynstreom: Portoble 
bcKk-up for HO 
System 60 (inci 

1 cntrir cord) 1 695 

Contrlr Cds eo $175 

Cortridge 450'..eo 35 

Cortridge 6(X)' ..eo 45 


MONITORS 


Amdek 

300^ Amber $1 49 

310A Coll 

300 CIr $265 

500ClrRGB 385 

600 CIr HR 455 

NEC 

JB1260-12" Green $119 

JC1216RGB 429 

PGS 

HX12 RGB Color $489 

MAX 12E 179 

Quodrom 

Quodchrome $489 

Qoodchrome II 429 

Amberchrome 175 

Quodscreen Hi-Res.... 1449 

Sanyo 

8112 12” HR Green.... $169 

Taxon 

AAodel 420L RGB $499 

Model 425 (w/ audio). 499 
Zenith Coll 


ULTRA Ht-RES 
MONITORS 


PGS 

SR12 (690 

X 480 Pxis) $639 

Doubler Cord 
for SR-12 $175 


Taxon 

RGBvision 440 
(720 X 400Pxls)...$595 

Persyst 

BoB Bd for 440 $475 


MODEMS 


Hayes 

Smortmodem 300 $209 

Smortmodem 1200 .... 429 


Smortmodem 12006... 369 


Microcom, Inc 

B^42 (1200intboud).. $395 

Novation Coll 

Quodrom Quod- 
modem (Startd otone, 
full 212A compatible 
w/ Quodlink SW) ....$529 
US Robotks 

Auto-Olol 300/1200 ...$459 

S-100 Modem 369 

Possword 325 

300-1200 baud Modem 
w/ Crosstalk for 
portables $459 



C hoh Electronio 

Starwriter 

F10-40P (40 cps) $999 

A10-20S (25 cps) 529 

Dioblo 

630 ECS Call 

630 API Call 

Epeon Call 

Monnesmon Tally.... Call 

NEC 3550 Coll 

Okidota 82-93 Call 

Quodrom Quodjet... $399 
Siemens Ink Jet 

Printers PT88 Call 

Silver Reed 

500P (P or S) (16 cps 

letter quality) $395 

EXP 770P (P or S) 

(36 cps, 2K buffer, 

letter quolity) 799 

Star Mieronict Coll 


. . .ond much more. 


DBKITTES 

3M S'/r DS, DD 
(Box/10) $ 30 

Maxell 

MD2-HD (diskettes for 
IBM-PC-AT, Box/10)... $ 69 
Ultromognetics 
S'/r DS, DD(6ox/10).$ 25 

Verbotim 

5’/4“ DS. DO (Box/10). $ 30 


PLOTTERS 


Amdek 

DXY-100 $599 

AmploftI 899 

Enter 


Sweet P Six Shooter... Coll 

Hewtett'Podcord Coll 

Houston Instruments Call 


MISC. 


Alpho-Deho 

MACC 8 Surge 
Protector $ 69 


Computer Acceworiet 

Power Directors 

P12 IBM PC 

.$145 

P22 Stand Alone . . . . . 

, 75 

Bectronic Protection 

Oevket 

Lemon / EC-1 

.$ 38 

Lime / EC-II 

, 55 

Oronge / EC-IV 

. 75 

Bp'n'EUS'A" 

Houppog* 

.$ 22 

8087 Chip 

.$T49 

6087 w/ Softwore . . . , 

, 255 

80287AT Chip w/o sft 

289 

Other Produ^ 

Coll 

Kemmgton Mkrowore 

Mosterpiece 

Key lionic 

$119 

KB 5150 

$169 

KB 5151 

. 173 

KB 5151 Dvorak 

173 

Microeoft Mouse 

$139 

Mouse Systems 

PC Mouse 

$159 

RH Bectronics, Inc 

Guordion Angel 

. Coll 

Power Angel (800 ys^ . . 

Coll 

Trton Technologiet, Inc 

PC Accelerotor 

. Cdl 

TG Joystick 

$ 49 

Touchstone Technology 

louchstone II (add-on 



keypod for the IBM) . $1 69 
Verbatim 

Heod Cleaning Kit .. .$ 16 
Verso Computing 
NferscAVriter $239 


POUCYi 

► Wiscorrsin residents odd 5% for soles tox. 

P Minimum $4.(X) for shippirrg, hondlirrg ond insurorKe 
for orders to $200. 

P For orders over $200, odd 2!6% for shipping, handling 
ond insurance. 

P For cash prepayment of orders $200 or more, odd 
ONLY 2% for shipping, harxJlirtg ortd irtsurance. 

P Prices ore subject to chonge without notice. 

P All items subject to ovailobility 


WilMiLCOMIi 

P Visa, MosterChorge and American Express. (No chorge for credit cords.) 

P Corporate, government or educational volume purchasers, pleose ask for speciol occounts 
desk for odditional discount. 

P COD (Add $2.00 per box/parcel. Cash or certified check required.) 

P Checks. (Allow 1-2 weeks for clearing.) 

INflRNATIOIIAL POUCYi 

We welcome foreign orders. Shipping and hondling charges per order are octual shipping costs 
plus $50. intematiorrol handling tm. 

WOmONO HOUMi 



Monday •Friday 8:30>6:00 • Saturday 10:00>2HX) • Centrol Time 

PCAD 061165 For tecnnicol support, order status orxJ customer service, call (715) 848-1374 

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OUR 

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91049 

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Graphics Master 9489 

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HI Res Mono Graphics 9335 

Color Graphics w/Par Port $189 


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0Hayetf 

Smartmodem 1200 9429 

Smartmodem 1200B 9389 

Smartmodem 2400 9849 

BaCOMP 

PC InteUmodem 9399 

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video 300G . . . 9135 300A . . . 9149 

Video 310A 9179 

PQS 

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MAX-12 HI Res Mona PRICES 

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I SOFTWARE I 

WORDPROCESSING 

MS Word 9239 Multimate 9269 

Votkawrlter Deluxe 9159 

PFS: Write 989 PFS: Proof 989 
WordPerfect 9269 WbrdStar CALL 

DATABASE/INTEQRATED 

dBase III CALL Quickcode III $179 


RBase 4000 9279 Chut 2.0 9169 

LCnVS 1-2-3 A Symphony CALL 

Framework CALL 


UTIUTIESAX)MPILERS 
Crosstalk $109 Smartcomll 9109 

Sideways 949 Norton Utllitiea$S9 

Sidekick 945 TUrbo Pascal 945 


UFEBOAT Lattice C 9299 

MS Basic 9259 MS Fortran $239 

BUSINESS 

MICROSOFT Pro/ect $159 Chart $159 
STAR Acct. Parmer I A II CALL 

BPI SYSTEMS CALL 


PFS: File 989 PFS: Graph 989 
PFS: Plan 989 Multiplan 9139 

OTHER 

Maatertype 935 Taping TUtorlll $39 


Math Blaster 939 

Flight Simulator 939 

Managing your money 9135 


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All products ususlly in stock lor immodtsts oNpmsni snd carry full manutsetursis' nwarranty. Prios sub)sct to chartos — this ad prsparsd two months in advanot. Vbu gat tha 
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IBM is a trademark of IBM Corp. Rotum authorization and order status call information line 45 




Letters to PC 


Goodbye to .BAK Files 
In Letters to PC, Alice L. Ullrich re- 
quested information about saving 
WordStar files on floppy disks without 
creating BAK copies ("Getting Rid of 
.BAK Files.” PC, Volume 4 Number 7). 
George Beinhom's solution was to give 
all working files the same name but with 
different extensions (for instance, 
Product.txt. Product. let. and so on), so 
that just one .BAK file is created for the 
entire set of files. 

While his solution does create fewer 
BAK files, 1 have found a different solu- 
tion that is just as easy, provides greater 
flexibility in file naming, and creates no 
.BAK files at all. Simply establish a 
RAMdisk in your AUTOEXEC.BAT 
file and. upon starting WordStar, copy 
the document (using Ctrl-O) to that 
RAMdisk. Edit the document from the 
RAMdisk, and when you’re done, copy 
the file back to the floppy. Using the 
copy command to store the file on the 
floppy creates more freedom to name 
your files any way you choose. 

Establishing a RAMdisk is relatively 
easy, but WordStar users with limited 
RAM (96K or less) will need to expand 
their system. The current affordability of 
RAM chips may help to justify the cost of 
expansion. 

Marcus C. Hermansen, M.D. 

Lexington, Kentucky 


Maintaining Your Disk Drive 
The cover stories on maintaining your 
PC were excellent (“Whatever Ails 
Your PC,” PC, Volume 4 Number 6). I 
only wish they had been published earli- 
er, since the information and tips they 
contain will save me a lot of time on my 
next repair engagement. But you still 
have another chance with the PC AT. 

As a consultant, I am constantly con- 
fronted with technical maintenance prob- 
lems that I can usually diagnose and fix 
myself 1 also set up and install systems 
by mixing and matching different boards 


to my clients’ specifications. Practical 
experience has made me aware of some 
problems your articles didn’t mention; 
discussing them may help other readers. 

The problems pertain to the article, 
"Maintain Your Sanity: Maintain Your 



Disk Drives,” which says that when in- 
stalling two disk drives, the terminator 
chip on drive B: — usually the drive on 
the right side — must be removed. The ar- 
ticle fails to mention that the jumper 
packs contained on the top of some man- 
ufacturers’ drives must be properly set. 
The correct setting is such that only the 
third pin from the right on both drives 
should be jumpered. 

The second problem, which some- 
times occurs with third-party hard disks, 
is that the PC boots up into cassette BA- 
SIC for no apparent reason. If a warm 
boot (Ctrl-Alt-Del) does not work, try 
shutting off the PC for a minute or two 
and then restarting it. This has worked 
for me a number of times under many dif- 
ferent circumstances, 

I have learned so much from PC Mag- 
azine. Keep up the high level of technical 
information, but don’t give up on the be- 
ginners. 

Morris W. Stemp, CPA 

Jamaica Estates, New York 


A Solar Solution 

I’d like to respond to the letter from Rob- 
ert E. Potter in Letters to PC (“Solar En- 
ergy Software,” PC, Volume 4 Number 
4). He was looking for a solar energy de- 
sign program. 


Cyril Carter of Trent University and 1 
have written a book. Principles of Pas- 
sive Solar Building Design (Pergamon 
Press, New York), to be released later 
this year. 

The book covers modeling solar pro- 
grams with the IBM PC . The programs in 
the book, ZONESTEAD, WALLSPEC, 
NETSPEC, and SUNSPEC can be used 
as analytical tools in examining parame- 
ters pertinent to solar heat gain, heat loss, 
and insulation values. Physical mass and 
air infiltration are also addressed. 

For more information, readers can 
contact me at R.R. 3, Sherbrooke St. 
W., Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 6X4. 

Johan de Villiers 
Peterborough, Ontario 


Is This Offer for Real? 

I enjoyed reading M. David Stone’s arti- 
cle in PC News, and like him I felt that 
the offer from Business Computer Net- 
work (BCN) was too good to be true 
(“Getting On-line at the Database Super- 
market,” PC, Volume 4 Number 5). 

I called the telephone number listed in 
the article to ask for more information 
about the modem, the deal, and the com- 
pany. 1 talked to a very pleasant woman 
who said that she could not send me any- 
thing for some time because the company 
was splitting up: Some of it was going to 
San Antonio, "Texas, and some of it was 
going to Cardiff By The Sea, California. 
This meant that she was going to be out 
of a job because the office, located in 
Riverton, Wyoming, would not exist in 
another few days. She concluded by say- 
ing that it may be several weeks before I 
heard anything in writing, but to go 
ahead and send the money. 

Maybe I’m being suspicious, and 
maybe BCN is a respectable company, 
but frankly, if a phone call ever sounded 
like a con, this one did. Can you offer me 
some sort of assurance that if 1 send my 
$200 to this company, all will go as 
Stone’s article describes? I don’t want to 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE It. 1985 


93 



LETTERS 



8087 SPEED for 
LOTUS 1-2-3" 

FASTBREAK speeds up 1 -2-3 recalculations by up to 36 to 1 on a 
4.77 MHz PC and by 79 to 1 on a NUMBER SMASHER equipped 
PC. It extends DOS functionality to Include the 8087 and comes 
with a daughterboard which fits into the 8087 socket, an 8087, a 
break button and the necessary software. A number of additional 
features are invoked through its novel break buttoa These enable 
the user to lock out the keyboard, exchange information with pro- 
grams written in BASIC, FORTRAN or C that are running corxrur- 
lently, spool LOTUS output to a printer and install a single protected 
copy of 1 -2-3 and FASTBREAK on your hard disk. An optional 
LOCK BOX makes it possible to RESET your PC and remove the 
break button from the computer $339 LOCK BOX $60 


SMASHER- 

THE FASTEST 

ACCELERATOR CARD AVAILABLE! 

Runs ALL your software at 9.54 MHz 
51 2K RAM expandable to 640K 

The NUMBER SMASHER Includes a matched 8086-1 and 8087-1. 

It executes most programs a factor of 3 faster, including 8087 
applications Examples of programs that show dramatic improve- 
ments in speed include 1 -2-3, AUTOCAD and any application writ- 
ten with MS, IBM or INTEL FORTRAN. When combined with 
FASTBREAK, speed improvements up to 79 to 1 have been ob- 
tained! The card occupies one slot In your I/O channel and includes 
a special 8087 and 51 2K bytes of RAM $1 590 



The Soft Solution to 
AT and XT Bad Sector Problems. 

□fixer is the first production quality hard disk verification tool avaih 
aUe to the PC user. It employs extremely sensitive algorfthms to 
detect bad sectors and then maps them out of the MS-DOS file 
allocation table. It does not map out bad sectors In active files, but 
can be used to detect their presence. When a bad sector is detected 
on a file, the user copies the suspect file to new medie erases the 
old file and then runs Dfixer to map out the bad sector .... $1 49 

Contact MicroWay, Inc. or your local 
MicroWay Installation Center to order. 

Lotus and 1-2-3 are tredemarka of Lotus Development Corp^ Dfixer is a trademark of interactive Data Corpi 
Micros, FASTBREAK and NUMBER SMASHER are trademarks of MicroWay. Inc 


Micro 

Way 


P.O. Box 79 
Kingston. Mass 
02364 USA 
(617) 746-7341 


The World Leader 
in 8087 Support! 


pass up the offer if it is indeed legitimate. 
But if the company is breaking up and 
moving all over the country, how stable 
can that offer be? 

Harry Polgar 

Downey. California 

M. David Stone replies: 

We are aware that BCN is currently reor- 
ganizing and have been assured that this 
will not affect its operations. Of course, 
we are in no position to guarantee any- 
thing. but we have no reason to suspect 
that BCN is anything other than legiti- 
mate. We have gotten at least one favor- 
able comment about BCN on PC's Inter- 
active Reader System bulletin board and 
know of no negative experiences to date. 


Realia’s Response 

In his column, “It's Odds and Ends 
Time” (PC, Volume 4 Number 8), Peter 
Norton had one complaint about the Re- 
alia compiler: He didn't like our copy 
protection. Similar reactions from other 
clients prompted us to implement a new 
method. In Version 1.20, the user can 
run Realia COBOL on a compatible hard 
disk without inserting a floppy. When we 
started shipping the new version in 
March, all licensed clients received 1 .20 
at no charge. 

Marc Sokol 

Realia, Inc. 

Chicago, Illinois 


Reader’s Predictions 
I am a new PC user. I use my IBM PC- 
XT at work, so I spend all my spare time 
reading issues of PC Magazine. At times 
I feel I learn more at home with your 
magazine than I do at work with the soft- 
ware manuals. I have two thoughts I'd 
like to share with your readers. 

First, I read the articles on the future of 
microcomputing (“Looking Ahead: Key 
Forces That Will Shape the World of 
Computing” and “Other Voices, Other 
Futures,” PC, Volume 4 Number 1) 
with great interest. It will be even more 
fascinating to read the January issues for 
the next 10 years to see how many of the 
predicted changes will happen. 

Let me add my support to Werner 
Frank's predictions. I almost fell out of 
my chair when I read J . F. Coates's rebut- 


94 


QRCLE 176 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 , 1985 




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This means you don't have to disconnect 
your printer, plotter or other serial device from 
Comport 1 or 2 when you use our ProModem 
1200B to communicate with the outside world. 

And that's just the beginning. The unit has a 
host of features such as auto answer and auto 
dial, programmable intelligent dialing, built-in 
speaker with volume control, help commands, 
extensive diagnostics, separate voice and data 
jacks, and Hayes command set compatibility. 

If you check prices, you'll find our $399 
ProModem card costs less than modems that 
don't do nearly as much. ProModem 1200B 
comes with a sophisticated communications 
package from Mycroft Labs called"MITE"which 
provides for transfer of any type of text and 
binary files, with five error checking protocols 
including X-Modem. You can't lose. Buy our 
ProModem 1200B and get a Comport free! 


External 











Transfer 50 Pages Of Text 
^\lthout Tying Up Your PC 

Priced at just $495, our Hayes Com- 
patible ProModem 1200 is the best 1200/300 
baud standalone modem you can buy. It runs 
rings around Hayes and the rest. 

One reason is our optional Communications 
Buffer and Alphanumeric Display which turn our 
ProModem into a veritable genius. 

Imagine, unplugging your computer, taking 
it home for the weekend, and while you're gone 
having ProModem 1200 answer the phone, 
collect messages, send out electronic mail, and 
when you return, review all messages sent 
and received, and the exact time of each event. 
And we're talking about 50 pages of text 
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aRCLE 166 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


CaWNo^e^nto... 




LETTERS 


tal to Frank. He says . who can 
imagine a word-processed love letter?” 
Well, just last week I signed up for MCI 
Mail, and the first thing I did with my 
word processor was write and send a 
long-overdue love letter to my wife. 

My second thought involves the ter- 
minology gap in the computer field. His- 
torically, the terms that become jargon in 
any field are catchy, concise, and de- 



scriptive, and I'd like to contribute one. 
It's confusing that both 5'/,- and 3'A- 
inch diskettes are referred to as 
"floppies." I propose that we call the 
S'/i-inch diskette a "flippy" because 
these diskettes are small enough to be 
flipped like a coin. If the rumors about 
the IBM PC 2 are correct, it will soon be- 
come important to distinguish clearly be- 
tween copying floppy to flippy and vice 
versa. 

Thanks for PC’s contribution to this 
exciting new part of my life. 

Dan Rosselle 
Atlanta. Georgia 


Helpful Tips from User-to-User 
The User-to-User suggestion from John 
Lawson in "Easy Printer Control” is one 
of the most useful tools I've seen recently 
(PC, Volume 4 Number 7). This is a very 
practical technique for controlling print- 
er variables. I now use it to set margins 
and pitch for listing programs. Let's see 
more little gems like this. 

Terry F. Pettijohn 

Marion, Ohio 


The PC Goes Bowling 
1 am a secretary for a bowling league and 
I need software to manage and keep 
bowling scores. Does PC Magazine have 
any suggestions for such software? 

John Beal 
Yukon, Oklahoma 


Nostradamus 

Utilities 


HARDRUNNER'” $34^5 

Run Lotus’” 1-2-3’” and Symphony’” 
without the system diskette in drive A . 

HardRunner is the authentic self- 
installing utility program that allows you to 
run Lotus 1-2-3 (version lA) and Symfrfiony 
(version 1.0) right off your hard-disk 
without the Lotus or Symphony system 
diskette in the A drive. 

Vk guarantee that HardRunner 
makes absolutely no alterations to your 
Lotus orSympbony programs. Inaction, 
HardRunner actually copy protects Lotus 
and Symphony on the H^ Disk. 

Thousands of satisfied customers are 
using this product and are no longer worry ing 
about losing or destroying their system 
program diskettes. Avoid the hassle and 
order the authentic HardRunner. 

Corporate volume discount agreements 
available. You can protect your company 
from improper distribution of your ^tem 
diskettes. Just lock them aw^ safely. 

(For the IBM PC/XT/AT, true compati- 
bles, and T1 Pro. DOS 2 .0 or higher required . ) 

NOBUNK”* $29.95 

ErGoNoMiCs! Eye strain? With just a 
keystroke, you can change your obnoxious 
blinking cursor into a friendly solid block 
reverse video cursor in your choice of color. 
And if you wish, you can change it back and 
forth (blink/noblink) right in the middle of a 
program such as your word processor. We 
believe this product improves efficiency. The 
NoBlink cursor is less distracting and does 
not cause the eye &tigue problems associated 
with blinking Ejects. Give your eyesarest. 
This could be one of the best investments 
you’ll ever make. 

NoBlink is highly compatible. 
NoBlink works with DOS commands and 
most programs cm either monochrome or 
graphics displays. Like the blinking cursor, 
NoBlink is disabled in graphics modes. 

(For the IBM PC/XT/AT/Jr. . true 
compatibles, and the T1 Pro. ) 

TURBO-PLUS™ $34.95 

IXirbo-Plus is a set of external proce- 
dures crafted in assembler language and 
designed specifically forlbrbo I^scal's^ 
interactive environment. 'Ihrbo-Plus includes: 


Enhanced Input/Output Facility— A 
complete pacirage of procedures for full 
utilization pathnames, file handles, 
hiddenfiles, deviceindependence, variable 
length records etc. (DOS 2 .0 and up) 
Instant Text Display— With this procedure 
you can displt^' complete screens of text in 
a flash. Instant Text Display is much faster 
than the standard procedures for display 
output. This proc^ure also provides for 
direa attribute specification. (IBM 
hardware requir^.) 

Expanded Text Display— This procedure 
allows you tospecify horizontal and vertical 
size for characters, as wet 1 as colorand posi- 
tion. (IBMhardwareandgraphics adapter.) 
Call Toll Free (24 hours, 7 days a week) 
I-800-321-62()0 when ordering ask for 
Computer Software. In Utah call (801) 
261-0769. Dealer and Corporate 
Inquiries (80 1 ) 26 1 -0769 . 


(Plus $5.00 shipping and handling. 

Outside USA, add $15.00) 

Check □ Money Order □ 

Visa/Mastercharge# 

Expiration Dale 

PLEASECHOOSE ($500 shipping and handling) 

□ HardRunner S34.9S -t- S.00 

□ NoBlink 29.95 + 5.00 

□ *nirbo.Plus 34,95 + 5.00 

Name 


Address 


City 

State Zip 

Nostradamus Inc. 

5320 South 900 East 
Suite 110 

Salt Lake City, Utah 84117 


Lotus, 1-2-3. attdSymphony are trademarks ofLotus 
Development Corp. IBM is a registered trademark of 
International Business Machines Corp. Turbo fiscal 
is a copyright product of Borland International Corp. 


Nostradamus Inc. 

CIRCLE 268 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


97 



SPERRY PC COMPUTERS 

Mono Desktop 256K. 2 Drives, Serial Pori, Par. Pori. 

Clock. MSDOS 2.11, GWBasIc plus Other Software 

Portable Computer 256K 2 Drives Full IBM Compatibility . 


MMrini tpvnr 
DMl«r 


$1650 

$1650 


DATA BASE 

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 

Fox and Geller Quickcode . . . 
Fox and Geller QuickReport. . 

Knowledgeman 

K Report 

Condor III 

Tim IV 

DBase Manager II 

FRIDAY 

PFS File 

Nutshell 

RBase 4000 

CLOUT 2 

Power Base 

WORD PROCESSING 

Wordstar Pro Pack 

Samna III 

Wordstar 2000 for IBM PC ... 

Wordstar 2000 - 

Leading Edge Word 

Processor/Merge 

Microsoft Word 

Word Perfect 

Word Plus Spell Checker 

Volkswriter DeLuxe 

Random House Spell Checker 

PFS Write 

Multimate 

Peachtext 5000 


$125 
$140 
$225 
$135 
$289 
$219 
$165 
$159 
. $78 
. $55 
$240 
$129 
$199 

$240 

$265 

$238 

$285 

. $85 
$225 
$219 
. $89 
$149 
. $36 
. $78 
$255 
$185 


SPREADSHEETS 

Supercalc II $145 

Supercalc III $165 

Microsoft Multiplan $119 

!TK Solver $239 

ACCOUNTING 

BPI Accounting Each Module $349 


TCS. Big Four equivalent of Peachtree 
Series 4 - Specially augmented and 
customized for your IBM PC Terminal 
and Printer - GL. AR. PA. AP. CP/M-80. 
CP/M-86 for PC XT. DOS 1.1. 2.0. 
Each Module . . . $65 For All Four $249 


CYMA Call 

Dollars & $ence $95 

MBSI Accounting (Real World) Call 

Tobias Managing Your Money $99 

TRANSFER PROGRAMS 

Hayes Smartcom $85 

Move-it $79 

Microstuf Crosstalk $95 

Microstuf Transporter $150 


BEST PRICE IN U.S. 


FOR IBM PC OR CLONES 

Multifunction Board - Includes Async 
Adapter.Clock with battery back-up 
and Software, 64K memory 
expandable to 384K. 1 year 
warranty $169 


LANGUAGES 

Lifeboat Lattice C Compiler $265 

Run C Compiler $100 

Microsoft C Compiler $245 

Microsoft Pascal Compiler $180 

Microsoft Basic Compiler $235 

Microsoft Basic Language $225 

FOR PC DOS 

PC Paint Brush $85 

Norton Utilities $54 

Copy II PC $22 

Prokey V3.0 $69 

Total Harvard Project Manager . . . $255 

Microsoft Flight Simulator $32 

Think Tank $96 

HARDWARE 

ABC Printer Switch $65 

Hayes 2400 Call 

Hayes 1200 Modem $395 

Hayes 1200b Modem for IBM PC . . $369 

64K RAM Chips (9) 150 NSEC $15 

Anchor Signalman 

1200 baud Modem $245 

lOmega Bernoulli 20 Megabyte . . . $2495 

Princeton RGB Monitor $459 

Taxan RGB Vision 425 $399 


Diskette Super Special! 

10 D/S D/D (Qty 100) $12.95 


COMPUTERS 

IBM Computer Call 

BOARDS FOR THE IBM PC 
OR LOOKALIKES 

Hercules Color Board with Par. Port. $149 

AST Six Pack $249 

384K Board with 256K $220 

Quadcolor I $185 

STB Graphics II Board $245 

Paradise Graphics Board $275 


New Quadram Multifunction Board . $225 
PRINTERS 

FREE! PRINTER SET SOFTWARE 

Purchase an Okidata. Epson or Gemini 
printer and receive at no charge a menu 
driven program to set print characteristics or 
to make your computer function as a correc- 
ting typewriter. Retail value $35. Available 
for most disk formats. 


Gemini SG/10 Call 

Okimate 20 Color Printer Call 

Okidata 182 $235 

Okidata 93P $569 

Okidata 84P $665 

Juki 6100 $389 

Juki 6300 $689 

Epson FX 80+ $335 

Silver-Reed EXP 400 $235 

Daisywriter 2000 $795 

Toshiba P351 $1175 

NEC, Diablo. C. Itoh Call 


TERMS: Prices include 3% cash discount. Add 3% for charge orders. Shipping on most items $5.00. 
AZ orders >6% Sales Tax. Personal check, allow ten (10) days to clear. Prices subject to change. 
Se habla Espanbi ^ Call for programs not listed 


r:' A r\ t LJ i ■ 



WAREHOUSE DATA PRODUCTS 

2701 West QIandalt Ava.. Suita 6. Phoanix, Arizona 85021 

Technical & Other Information (602) 246-2222 
TOLL FREE ORDER LINE 1-800-421-3135 


LETTERS 


Here's one for starters. Ensign Software 
has a software package called The Bowl- 
ing League Statistics Manager. The com- 
pany’s address is 2312 N. Cole Rd., 
Suite E. Boise, ID 83704. (208) 378- 
8086.— Ed. 


PC Fan 

Though I think that every issue of PC 
contains useful information and pro- 
grams, I find the Programming, User-to- 
User, and PC Tutor sections to be the 
most valuable. I also enjoy the in-depth 
studies of applications and equipment. 

You have set a standard for the indus- 
try. as well as made history with a bi- 
monthly publication containing over 300 
pages of editorial and advertising of such 
high-quality, valuable information. 

You're doing a great job educating us. 

Marvin A. Hodges 
Miami, Florida 


Servicing Your PC 

Wendy McKibbin’s article, “Taking 
Out a Contract on Your PC” provides an 
excellent overview of the broad range of 
IBM PC maintenance services (PC, Vol- 
ume 4 Number 6). However, there are 
some errors in the Control Data portion 
of the third-party maintenance service 
vendor listings. 

In the table used to compare third-par- 
ty maintenance vendors. Control Data's 
correct pricing should be: $888 for on- 
site, $708 for courier exchange carry-in, 
and $528 for ship-in exchange. 

Currently, Control Data provides 24- 
hour IBM rc maintenance services mostly 
for businesses in 80 metropolitan areas. 

Duane Andrews 
Control Data 
Minneapolis, Minnesota 


How to Write to PC 

Do you have a comment, compliment, or 
criticism about something you've read in 
PCI A question you'd like to open up to 
other readers? Send it to Letters to PC, 
PC Magazine, One Park Avenue, New 
York, NY 10016. We are not able to an- 
swer letters personally. 

All letters become the property of PC 
Magazine and may be subject to editing. 
We cannot print letters that do not in- 
clude a name and an address. H 


PC MAGA2aNE« JUNE It, 1985 



To err is human; 
to backup with Irwin, divine. 



I^et's face it — people make mistakes. And even when 
people arc near-perfea, accidents do happen. Hard 
disks fail and software bombs. Power fluctuates and 
files disappear. 

There isn't anything you can do to present the loss 
of information . . . except be prepared for the inevitable. 

That's why we developed the Irwin BACKUP™ 
Tape Subsystem. It provides a fast, inexpensive w'ay to 
copy data. So easy you’ll use it every day. 

Whether you own a PC-XT or the new- PC-AT; 
whether you need to store 10, 20. even 40 megabytes 
of information, we have the backup for you. 

The Irwin BACKUP is the perfect companion to 
your IBM PC-XT or PC-AT. It'scolor coordinated to 
match your PC beautifully. Small enough to fit conven- 
iently on your desk, it comes with a self-contained 
power supply, and 30 times the storage capacity of a 


floppy. The tape cartridges ate rugged, built to last. 

Now there’s no more crying over spilled milk (or 
short circuits). No more swapping floppies. No more 
costly mistakes. Because now the Irwin BACKUP Tape 
Subsystem backs you up with a heavenly combination: 
the reliability you need . . . for only $995 ■’ 

Irwin Magnetics has installed over 30,000 drives 
worldwide We back you up with integrity. 

For the dealer nearest you, call 1-800-421-2879 
or write: 

* Suggested retail price 


Irwin Magnetics 
2311 Green Road 
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105 
313/996-3300 


MAGNETICS 


aRCLE 132 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





Before Microsoft* Word you had to choose between 
quick and clean. Producing professional looking docu- 
ments meant going through draft after draft after draft 
after draft. 

The new Microsoft Word is different. You don’t have 
to practice to make perfect. You can use the full power 
of the IBM' PC to eliminate the drafts. And give your ideas 
sudden impact. 

Quick quality* 


With Word, what you see on the screen is what you’ll see on the page. 
You can preview and design documents. And instandy see the effect 
of your changes. (No more playing blindman’s bluff between the screen 
and the printer.) Now you can breathe vitality into blocks of lifeless text. 



Their first draft vs. our first draft. 



be dirty. 


Highlight pithy 
phrases, flag impor- 
tant words, drive 
home conclusions. With 
boldface, underline and italics, 
superscript 3 ^bscript. (No more hieroglyphic 

Microsoft Word gets unmatched professional quality from dot matrix 
daisy wheel and ink jet printers. And on the new laser printers, it 
produces stunning results. 

It lets you execute commands and edit text faster, with simple key- 
strokes or the optional Microsoft Mouse. And, MICROSOFT. 
Word has windows so you can have multiple docu- The H^rFferf^nce^ftsvare- 
ments on the screen, and you can easily cut and paste between them. 

Word also includes a computer-based training disk that gets you 
up to speed quickly. Plus, a new comprehensive manual. 


100% money-back guarantee* 


You don’t have to take our word about Word. Buy the new Microsoft 
Word from a participating dealer and if you’re not satisfied for any reason, 
return it to the dealer within 30 days and he’ll give you your money back.* 
How do we get higher performance out of the PC? Simple, our 
MS-DOS* operating system tells the IBM PC how to think. And our 
BASIC is the language spoken by nine out of ten microcomputers 
worldwide. 

So, if you want to clean up your act, act quick. Call (800) 426-9400. 
In Washington State, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada, call (206) 828-8088. 
And ask for the name of your nearest ■ 

Microsoft dealer. J 


MicrcMofi and MS-DOS are registered craJemarks and The High Perfonnance Software is a trademark 
of Micrnsoft Corporation IBM is a registered trademark of Intemanonal Business Machines 
'Offer good m ilv Utuied States on IBM PC versions of Microsoft Word 
purchased on or before August )1. 1965 




With Network Revelatioii you’re not done. 


Span the void that separates 
you from other PC’s. Be as one with a 
universe of data. Be a true network 
with Network Revelation? 

Networic Revelation is more than 
a relational database management 
system. It’s a complete applications 
environment for most microcomputer 
networks. That’s not dreaming about 
the future. It’s low-key raving about 
a capability of the present. 

With Network Revelation, you 
can send and receive data on local area 
networks and remote file servers. Rev’s 
data dictionaries let you add or restruc- 


Cosmos, Inc., 19530 Pacific Highway S. 


hire fields at will, saving ages of 
programming time. And our menu- 
driven applications generator and 
procedui^ language are eons ahead 
of other datab^es. 

The possibilities are infinite. 
Distribute processii^ systems linking 
worlds. Accounting, inventory and 
order entry systems connected for 
instant access to data by a galaxy of 
users. And your data is secure with 
complete file or record locking. 

REVELATION co-exists with 
MS-DOS™ So you can transport Lotus 
l-2-3r Multiplan* or other data from 

COSMOS 

QRCLE 218 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC to PC— using popular routes like 
Novell, Ethernet or 3 Com™ You can 
even evolve files from primitive, 
single-user databases into a powerful 
Rev application. 

Encounter the future of distributed 
data processing today. Revelation costs 
just $950.00? Network Revelaticm 
starts at only $1495.00* for a complete 
four-user system. So call us and we’U 
arrange for an unforgettable demon- 
stration with a Cosmos rep in your area. 

MS'" and MuJHplan* of Microsoft Corporation. 

of Lotas Development Corporation. 3 Com” 
of 3 Com Corporation. 

* Suggested U.S. list price. 


Seattle, WA 98188, 206-824-9942 




THE NORTON CHRONICLES • PETER NORTON 


Gang of Fourteen: 

Disk Types for the AT 

The PC AT has predefined support for 14 varieties of hard disks, 
ranging in capacity fronn a modest 1 0 megabytes to a monstrous 1 1 2. 

Here’s a closer iook at the whole crop. 


T wo issues ago I discussed puRing 
a 32-megabyte hard disk from In- 
terface, Inc., in my PC AT (see 
“Complementary Comments,” PC, 
Volume 4 Number 10). Interface, of 
Canoga Park, California, and other sup- 
pliers in the AT add-on game can also 
sell you other sizes of disks, including a 
S2-megabyle disk that I tried. But the 32- 
megabyte disk is the most important one 
to consider, and in my next few columns 
ITI talk about the “32-megabyte barri- 
er' ' and a number of interesting related 
topics. For now, however, I plan to clas- 
sify the hard disks available for AT ac- 
cording to the way they’re formatted. 

One of the AT’s nice characteristics is 
that its built-in BIOS predeFines and pre- 
supports over a dozen different types of 
hard disks which makes it relatively easy 
to plug in new disks. Although IBM has 
so far offered only a 20-megabyte disk 
for it, the AT is prepared to accommo- 
date hard disks as small as 10 megabytes 
and as large as 112. In all, there ate 14 
different disk types that you can plug in 
to the AT without any special hardware 
disk controller board or software device 
driver. 

The Four Dimensions 
These 14 disk types vary in a number 
of ways. Of significance to computer us- 
ers are what I call the four dimensions of 
disk storage. Any amount of data we put 
on a disk is shoe-homed into a fixed-size 
storage unit called a sector. The number 
of bytes per sector is one of the four di- 
mensions of disk storage. The other three 
dimensions are the number of sectors in a 


full circle (or track) around the disk, the 
number of disk sides being used (a floppy 
disk uses one or two sides, while a hard 
disk with multiple platters uses more), 
and finally, the number of concentric cir- 
cles (called cylinders) used on the whole 



Peter Norton 


disk. The raw capacity of a disk can be 
calculated simply by multiplying the four 
dimensions: the number of bytes per sec- 
tor, by the sectors per (one-sided) track, 
by the number of sides (that is, the num- 
ber of one-sided tracks per cylinder), by 
the number of cylinders to the whole 
disk. 

Two of these dimensions are the same 
for all 14 of the AT's predefined hard 
disks. They all have 512 (or )^K) bytes 
per sector and 17 sectors per track — or 
8/^K storage for each side and cylinder. 
The other two dimensions — the number 
of sides and the number of cylinders — 
vary from disk to disk. 


A Feast of Sizes 

From a technical hardware point of 
view, it's worth noting that several of the 
14 different predefined disk types for the 
AT have the same storage capacity. For 
example, there are 4 types that have the 
same basic 20-megabyte size — the four 
differ in their dimensions, but each totals 
out to 20 megabytes of storage. Similar- 
ly, 3 other disk types all have a 30- 
megabyte capacity. So, 7 of the 14 dis- 
tinct AT hard disk types provide only two 
different storage capacities. Each of the 
other 7 types of hard disks has a unique 
capacity, so you can choose from a total 
of 9 different sizes among the 14 disk 
types (see Table I). 

The different types of AT hard disks 
are identified by type numbers. You tell 
the AT’s setup program (which comes 
with its diagnostic diskette) which disk 
types are installed, and the setup pro- 
gram stores the information in the AT’s 
permanent, battery-powered memory. 
The AT’s BIOS program discovers the 
disk type by reading this configuration 
information when you turn on the ma- 
chine. 

Disk type 2 is the AT’s “standard” 
20-megabyte disk, but any of the others 
can be installed Just as easily. Disk type I 
is the only one of the 14 that is smaller 
than the AT’s normal 20-megabyte size; 
its dimensions and capacity are identical 
to those of the disks used in the PC-XT. 
Type 9 is the 1 12-megabyte monster. Six 
of the 14 types break the 32-megabyte 
barrier, while the other eight fall within 
the 32-megabyte limit. 

As you can see in Table 1 , some of the 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


103 




Memory -full. 

Lotus 1-2-3" allocates memory to empty cells, 
robbing users of valuable capacity. 


Lotus 1-2-3 claims a 
spreadsheet capacity of 256 
columns by 2048 rows. 
Unfortunately, its actual 
capacity often turns out to 
be much less, because mem- 
ory is wasted on empty cells. 

That’s the case in the 
screen on the left.* where 
all unused cells between 
column R(18) and row 2048 


are needlessly allocated 
while trying to enter only 
one number, filling memory 
completely. 

The Smart Spreadsheet, 
on the other hand, has a 
unique space-saving feature 
called “sparse matrix,” 
which prevents such a 
calamity from occurring. 

That’s because Smart 


allocates space for only 
those cells which are filled, 
not those that are empty. 

And Smart’s “virtual 
memory” design takes its 
capacity one step further. 

It means that the size of a 
spreadsheet is not limited by 
a computer’s RAM (as it is 
with Lotus 1-2-3), but by disk 
space alone. It’s like having 


thousands of additional cells 
of memory on reserve. 

These features, coupled 
with Smart’s enormous 
capacity for 999 columns 
by 9,999 rows, make it 
the largest spreadsheet 
available. 

But The Smart Spread- 
sheet’s unequalled power 
and capacity are only part 


*Th« tcr«en» «nown ara actual rapraaeniaiion* of Lotut 1 -2-3 and Ttta Smart Spraadahaet 
as My appear when used on a standard I6M PC wiVi 2S6K RAM 




98/C memory free. 

Smart does not allocate memory to empty cells, 
so you have all the capacity you need. 


of the reason why more and 
more corporate users are 
buying it. 

It's also fully relational, 
allowing for easy financial 
consolidations; includes an 
extensive business graphics 
package; and is part of a 
fully integrated system that 
works automatically and 
effortlessly with The Smart 


Word Processor and The 
Smart Data Manager. 

So don’t shortchange your- 
self on a spreadsheet pro- 
gram that eats up memory 
like there’s no tomorrow. 
Get Smart instead. And if 
you already own Lotus 1-2-3, 
keep in mind that Smart 
will translate all your files 
and formulas. 


Smart Software, from 
Innovative Software, is 
currently available for the 
IBM PC, PC/XT, PC/AT, 
and compatibles. For more 
information, please call 
800-GET-SMART, an 
Kansas, call 913-383-1089). 

Smart Software 

from Innovative Software 



LoM 1 -3-3 tnd IBM ar* ragia*a«M tradamariis o> Lotus Oovoiopmcnt CorporaMn and 
tabonalBuainMsMaclunMCorpotaMn.raapacbvaiT C i9S4lnn9va(rv«Soilwara.lnc 


CIRCLE 272 ON READER SERVICE CARD 






NORTON CHRONICLES 


disk types have an odd number of sides. 
Hard disk drives can have any number of 
disk platters in them, and there will al- 
ways be an even number of sides — ^two 
for each platter. But some disk designs 


reserve one side of one platter for control 
purposes. For this reason, 6 of the 14 AT 
disk types have an odd number of data 
sides. 

Nearly any kind of disk, no matter 


how weird, can be used with any PC, in- 
cluding the AT. We aren’t limited to the 
14 types in Table I , but these are the ones 
that can be installed on the AT without 
any special hardware or software sup- 
port. 

Bending the Boundaries 

The kind of disks that the PC uses — 
both floppies and fixed hard disks — are 
soft-sectored rather than hard-sectored. 
This means that, within some fairly tight 
constraints, the dimensions of the disk 
can be varied. Obviously we can’t add 
sides to a disk (nobody’s going to sud- 
denly discover that a floppy disk has a 
long-lost third side), and we’d be fools to 
use fewer sides than ate available. Like- 
wise, the number of concentric circles 
(which we call cylinders when we’re 
talking about hard disks, and tracks when 
we’re talking about floppies) on a disk is 
pretty much set by the disk drive’s hard- 
ware characteristics. The most flexible 
dimensions of a disk are the first two: the 
number of bytes per sector and the num- 
ber of sectors per track. 

There is a finite amount of information 
that can be crammed into a circular track 
on a disk, and that sets an upper limit to 
the size and number of sectors that are re- 
corded on a track. The limit isn’t cast in 
stone, but the more information we try to 
squeeze into one track, the higher the er- 
ror rate. The proper disk dimensions al- 


Table 1: The 14 AT Hard Disks 

Type Approx, cap. 

number Sides Cylinders in Mb 


1 

4 

305 

10 

2 

4 

615 

20 

3 

6 

615 

30 

4 

8 

940 

62 

5 

6 

940 

46 

6 

4 

615 

20 

7 

8 

462 

30 

8 

5 

733 

30 

9 

15 

900 

112 

10 

3 

820 

20 

11 

5 

855 

35 

12 

7 

855 

49 

13 

8 

306 

20 

14 

7 

733 

42 


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THIRD FLOOR SYSTEMS, INC. 

1630 Old Oakland Road, Suite A1 14 • San Jose, CA 95131 
Dealer/Dlstrlbutor Inquiries welcome, call 408-977-0488. 

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CIRCLE 199 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


106 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 





low as much storage capacity as possible 
without dropping the reliability much un- 
der the ideal of 1 00 percent error-free op- 
eration. 

If you've paid attention to the options 
of the DOS FORMAT command, or if 
you were using a PC during the transition 
from DOS Version 1.1 to 2.0, you al- 
ready know how to change these disk di- 
mensions. DOS I .X formatted disks with 
only eight 512-byte sectors per track. 


Proper disk dimensions 
allow as much storage as 
possible without dropping 
reliability much under the 
ideal of 1 00 percent. 

Apparently that was excessively conser- 
vative, because starting with release 2.0, 
DOS began safely squeezing nine sectors 
into the same diskette tracks. If you’ve 
experimented with this matter, you may 
have discovered that occasionally a 
diskette of marginal quality will format 
perfectly at eight sectors per track and 
encounter errors when formatted with 
nine. With disks of reasonably good 
quality, nine-sector formatting is reliable 
enough to use all the time. But it's possi- 
ble to push things even further — John 
Henderson has demonstrated with his 
“J-Format” tricks that diskettes can 
squeeze a full ten sectors into a diskette 
track, gaining more storage, and, 1 pre- 
sume, losing some reliability. 

Physical and Logical Formatting 
Formatting a disk involves two separate 
operations — physical formatting and logi- 
cal formatting. Physical formatting estab- 
lishes the logical dimensions of the disk 
space, while logical formatting sets up the 
structure of the disk as DOS views it. The 
DOS FORMAT command performs both 
formatting operations on a floppy disk. 
Using special commands to the disk con- 
troller (which allow the sector boundaries 
to be written), DOS physically formats the 
disk, establishing the size, number, and 
marking of the diskette sectors. After 
that’s done, the logical formatting — ^which 
establishes the size of the directory, the 
disk space map, and so forth — is written 


on the diskette using the conventional 
read-and- write commands. 

With a hard disk, on the other hand, 
the DOS command doesn’t do any physi- 
cal formatting. Instead, DOS’s 


FORMAT command expects to find the 
sectors already established on the hard 
disk. 

Next, I’ll rev up for a head-on colli- 
sion with the 32-megabyte barrier. ■ 


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twice as many phone management features!!! 


ComDuter-phone/P8x 

hardware 


I V 


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.^connects push button telephone to PC 
.^Built-in speaker with volume control 
.^When PC is powered off. telephone Is still 
operative 

.^Works with multi-line phones 


1 


MY DIALER under software 
control has the further capability to: 

.^Forward your calls 
.^Transfer your calls 
,-00 a three-way conference 
.^Put calls on hold 

./■communicate with all major pbx systems 
--Connect to a speaker phone/answering machine 


Introductory Offer 

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•aoCKiCK is a trademark of Borland international 


CIRCLE 200 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


107 






CHART-MASTER™ 

The Number 1 Choice in Business 
Graphics Software 


Highlight a single letter. - 
word or line 


Explode any or all slices - 


Up to 4 pies per chart, 20 
slices per pie ■ 


OVERALL SALES SOAR 27Z 

-PACIFIC REGION LEADS 
1984 SALES DRIVE 




soinM Mil, IK 



IMJ - $u mjj» 


(FINANCE OePAmuENT) 



PAcanc 

)SS4 - $75 UfLi/ON 


Presentation quality text: 
created here with bold 
font, italics, underline, 
color and left justification 


Select proportional pies 


With CHART-MASTER, the possibilities are unlimited: 



Area chart High/Low/Close Clustered Bar chart 

with moving average 






t¥$fmr3r tfrs * 







•i ** 

f; 

A/iy 


— 

•« 





\Z 


. 1 





■ * * * 






Horizontal Bar chart Horizontal Stacked Line chart 

Bar chart with 2 Y-axes 


CHART-MASTER gives you more ways to present 
information to an audience than any other pack- 
age on the market. And we do it with style and 
ease. In fact, we're the number 1 choice for those 
who use business graphics software on IBM 
personal computers. 

Number 1 in Versatility 
CHART-MASTER gives you more than 40 op- 
tions. . . text options, color options, chart type op- 
tions. At the touch of a key, turn data into a pie, bar, 
line, scatter or area chart. And best of all, CHART- 
MASTER can produce charts from Lotus 1-2-3'“, 
Symphony . Multi-Plan , or any other program. 



Number 1 in Presentation Quality 

Use over 50 of the most popular 
printers and plotters to create 
crisp, clean overhead trans- 
parencies, or on-paper 
charts. And, razor-sharp 
35mm slides are a breeze 
with the new Polaroid Palette. 
Number 1 in Ease of Use 
CHART-MASTER is de- 


signed so anyone, from top management to sup- 


port staff, can master the simple-to-follow 
menus. And, with CHART- 
MASTER'S default set- 
tings, you don't have to 
make endless deci- 
sions. We do the work, 
you get the results. 

Number 1 in the Opinion of 
Experts 

SOFTWARE DIGEST, the "Consumer Reports" 
of the industry, named CHART-MASTER the num- 
ber one package among the top 20 business 
graphics programs tested . But the real experts 
are our customers. They've made us the number 
one choice in business graphics software. 

See for yourself. Call or write today for a com- 
plete information kit, or a demonstration at your 
nearest dealer. Decision Resources, Inc., 25 
Sylvan Road South, Westport, CT 06880 (203) 
222-1974 

DecisionResources 

Software Designed for Decision Makers 




CIRCLE 1S8 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




SIGN-MASTER” 
Number 1 in word charts 
for presentations and reports 


Create powerful head- 
lines using SiGN- 
MASTER's coior. size, 
and font options. Here we 
chose Boid Roman font. 

Highlight a single charac- 
ter, word or an entire iine 
at the touch of a button. 
Here we focus attention 
on one number with color 
and underline. 

indicate source, date, au- 
thor, etc. with SIGN- 
MASTER'S footnote op- 
tion. Bold Standard font 
was used in this example. 


-T HE BOTTOM LINE 

PROJECTED EARNINGS 
(MilllQns of $} 


I '78 

'79 '80 

'81 

•82 / 

Sales 

66.4 

121.0 

144.0 

163.6 

IB2.0 

Net Income 

5.9 

6.6 

1 1.4 

13.4 

15.7 

ROS(%) 

6.9 

7.3 

7.9 

6.2 

8.6 

Mkt. Share 

48% 

61% 

65% 

71% 

76% 


Capitol expenditure reot. 
^Net present value = 


ired: $5 Million 
$24.25 Million 


(opportunity cost of capital « 24 %) 


<S*urMi AnniMl 



Develop professional ta- 
bles quickly and easily. 
Once data and text is en- 
tered, SIGN-MASTER de- 
termines the spacing and 
iayout. 


Produce SIGN-MASTER 
word charts on paper, 
overheads or slides. 


With SIGN-MASTER, the possibilities are unlimited: 



Proposals Summaries Exhibits Schedules Tables Title Pages 



SIGN-MASTER is 
the first program de- 
signed to allow every- 
one from top manage- 
ment on down to produce 
colorful, attention-gaining 
“word charts" and tables for presentations 
and reports. 

Created on an IBM PC with a compatible plot- 
ter or printer, SIGN-MASTER word charts are 
superior in quality to typing and less expensive 
than typesetting or printing. 


Professional Word Charts Made Easy 

In just minutes, this unique menu-driven pro- 
gram lets you create impressive, easy-to-read 
documents using words, numbers, lines and 
SIGN-MASTER's simple-to-master Table Mode. 
Number 1 in Quality Text 
SIGN-MASTER offers the greatest variety of 
text options. In addition to 6 fonts, 16 sizes and 
8 colors, you can justify text, underline, italicize, 
set margins, spacing, and more. 

An Important Presentation Tool 
With SIGN-MASTER and any one of over 40 


plotters, you can produce full color originals on 
paper and overheads. The program also works 
with most popular printers to create the high- 
est quality printer graphics possible. 

Make Super Slides Quickly 
and Economically 

Presentation-quality 
slides can be created in-house 
and inexpensively using the 
Polaroid Palette in conjunction 
with SIGN-MASTER. 

For reports and presentations that get no- 
ticed, get SIGN-MASTER — Number 1 in word 
charts. 

The retail price is $245.00. Call or write today 
for a complete information kit and a demon- 
stration at your nearest dealer. Decision 
Resources, Inc., 25 Sylvan Road South, 
Westport, CT 06880(203) 222-1974 

ORCLE 157 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

The developers of CHART-MASTER 

DecisionResources 

Software Designed for Decision Makers 



SIGN4iUSTEfl K a kadsmwk of OacWon Rmoutcm. Inc- SION4iMSTEn It awaUMt Wough Ow totowlno mitinallonsl (MUtMtort GraHtk OataMharxSing (QoMborg) Scandmavia. Telacompular Mtom-Shop 
(Eatan) Oarmany. Austria; SoINrart Enierprtwa (RoOtrdam) Banahci; EdtaofI (ftrls) frtnem; SurMock Sondtin (londen) U.K.; Calconip SA (Mftan) Italy and Conyuta rta nd and Erwa Worldwide 




Business Graphics: 


GIVING POWERTO 
PRESENTATIONS 

PC reviews 36 graphics packages to help you select the right 
software for your business needs. All do the job, 
but some offer such features as free-form drawing 
and libraries of predesigned images. 





COVER STORY 


T hose tiLinibcrs sound okay, but analysts particularly need presentation' can pnxJuce column, bar. pic. and line 

can I you show me what it Uniks quality business graphics to ■‘sln)w“ peo- charts, but a lew do quite a bit more. For 

like tor 1987? II you rc a busi- pie what their results !(K)k like, rather than example, some prtxlucts can generate a 

ness analyst, you ve heard words like just telling them. As more analysts use PCs wider variety of charts, while others en- 

these a thousand times, along with. "A in their work, graphics software is moving hance plain-looking business uraphics 

picture s worth a thousand words, you up in the PC' soltwarv best-seller list. with fancy type fonts, free-lbmi draw ine. 

know. Making pictures out ol numbers is " Presentation graphics" packages pro- or libraries of images and icons, 
w hat presentation graphics, and this issue duce the charts and graphs cotnmonly uscti In this issue. /’( ’ Xhtinizim' surseys lb 
ol PC Mtititizith'. are all about. Business for business presentations. Mttsi packages PC' graphics software packages to help you 



MKhc: Tklx'a'vki’ll 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


determine which best suits your needs. 
Our original list included a huge number of 
packages, but the final collection repre- 
sents a more realistic array of .software 
that's readily available and can ptxxluce 
business pre.sentation graphics. To pare 
down the li.st, we look a hard look at sever- 
al important aspects of the usability of 
graphics software in business applications. 

The Weeding Process 

We first eliminated products that con- 
centrate solely on producing graphics im- 
ages on screen. While the capabilities of 
these products are often extensive and im- 
pressive, they don’t produce hard-copy 
graphics output, a requirement of most 
business users. Products that use plotters to 
create graphics images on paper or on 
overhead transparencies predominate, but 
many programs do a very credible job with 
dot matrix printers and were not over- 


looked in these reviews. 

Most software programs that allow 
only free-form drawing, sign making, or 
CAD/CAM design exerci.ses were also 
eliminated. Many free-form products pro- 
duce excellent business graphics but an 
artist must do the Job. Because most busi- 
ness users want to enter a few numbers and 
then see a graph pop out automatically, we 
concentrated on products geared to that op- 
erating mode. But. we did include a few 
free-form products that produce business 
designs (like organization charts) that are 
difficult to describe mathematically. 

It was difficult to eliminate from our re- 
views the integrated products like 1-2-3. 
Symphony. Framework, and Enable be- 
cause mo.st of them produce good-quality 
presentation graphics. However, the stand- 
alone products generally offer more flexi- 
ble graphics, and many can also integrate 
data from a wider variety of sources. 


The Review Panel 


The following contributors made up the 
teams that tested and reviewed the business 
graphics software packages presentation in 
this issue. 

Kathryn Alesandrini, Ph.D., is a speak- 
er, consultant, and author of the upcoming 
bot^k. Business Graphics for Information 
Mamt^ement (Prentice-Hall, Inc.). She is 
an A.ssociate Professor at California Stale 
University and also founder of MicroCon- 
neci, a small firm in Santa Monica, Cali- 
fornia. that specializes in graphics applica- 
tions. 

Diane Bums and S. Venit are authors, 
micRKomputer consultants, and graphics 
specialists. The two are frequent contribu- 
tors to PC Magazine. 

Gabriel Cuellar is the author of six books 
about microcomputing, including Graph- 
ics Miuie Easy for the IBM PC (Prentice- 
Hall. Reston F\iblishing, 1984). 

Glenn A. Hart is a consultant in the field 
of microcomputer implementation and 
hardware and software selection. He is a 
contributing editor for PC Magazine. 
Maureen Jones is a technical writer and il- 
lustrator with an extensive background in 
computer graphics applications. The Met- 


ropolitan Museum of Art in New York 
City is currently showing a multintcdia 
presentation that she created. 

BUI O'Brien is a frequent contributor to 
PC Magazine. 

Charles Petzold coordinates the use of 
IBM PCs for a large insurance company 
and is a free-lance writer on microcomput- 
er subjects. 

Alfred Poor is president of softindustrics. 
an independent microcomputer consulting 
firm in Woodbury, Connecticut. 

Vincent Puglia is a frequent contributor to 
PC Magazine. 

Robin Raskin is a frequent contributor to 
several computer publications, including 
PC Magazine. 

Stephanie Stallings is an associate editor 
at PC Magazine. 

M. David Stone is an author and frequent 
contributor to PC Magazine. His most re- 
cent book is The Parent's Computer Book 
(Macmillan, 1985). 

Jared Taylor is a contributing editor for 
PC Magazine. 

PhU W'lsweU is a free-lance writer and 
software critic. He is a frequent contributor 
to PC Magazirte. 


Setting the Stage 

PC's editors developed a test plan and 
scenario and assembled a team of review- 
ers and testers (.see "The Review Panel" 
for their names and backgrounds) to test 
this diverse group of business graphics 
programs. We developed a typical busi- 
ness application (see the sidebar. "The 
Scenario," for details), which, although 
simple, forced each prtxiuct to show what 
it can do in a typical business presentation 
environment. 

Graphics packages vary greatly in how 
they work and how well they produce the 
desired graphics images. To refiect the va- 
riety. the results of PC Magazine’s product 



Icon indicating 
business 
presentation 
graphics program. 



Icon identifying 
artistic business 
graphics programs 
that draw graphs. 


testing are presented in several ways. First, 
we highlight each product review with an 
icon that instantly tells you how it works. 
Packages that produce business graphs and 
charts directly from input numbers are 
identified as "business presentation graph- 
ics” products. Those that draw the graph 
or enhance graphs drawn by other products 
with external images ate labeled as "artis- 
tic business graphics” programs. 

In addition, each product review de- 
scribes how well the product did the job 
and offers a "taste” of what the product is 
like. For example, a few products use 
menus and icons for user interface but are 
not that easy to use. Some require an in- 
depth knowledge of graphics or program- 
ming, while others are surprisingly flexi- 
ble and easy-to-use as well as inexpensive. 


Useful Facts 

An expanded PC Fact File accompa- 
nies each review and contains detailed 
technical information. The Fact File con- 
centrates on screen and hard-copy graphic 
abilities, especially the variety of chart 


112 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 , 1985 




A Guide to the Graphics Fact Files 

Each of the reviews on the following pages is accompanied by a Graphics Fact File that contains an extensive list 
of its technical capabilities. To save space, we used abbreviations to describe those capabilities. 

Here is a ist of those abbreviations, and their definitions, organized by technical category. 


Daciunentation: 

Graphics software documentation 
should include enough tutorial material 
to get you going and enough technical 
and reference information to make you 
an expert graphics craftsman. These 
codes should tell you if the product 
you're looking at has enough of both. 
ntu-no tutorial 
stu-on-screen tutorial 
ptu-printed tutorial 
gtm-glossary of terms 
idx-index 

tcs-table of contents 

Copyprotection: 

Copy protection can make a program dif- 
ficult or impossible to use if you have a 
hard disk. These codes will tell you f 
you'll need a key disk to run the program 
from a hard disk and if backups of the 
program's floppy disks are limited. 
ncp-not copy protected 
Icf-limited copies of floppy disks 
hda-runs on hard disk 
hdk-runs on hard disk with key 

General Graphics Faculties: 

These codes let you know whether graph- 
ics formats are predefined in the product, 
whether screen displays are included, 
and whether the software lets you adjust 
your output format to accommodate dif- 
ferent media, such as transparencies and 
paper. 

pcf-predefined chart formats 
pcd-predefined charts include screen 
displays 

mda-media adjustment 

Screen/Printer/Plotter FadUtics: 

Graphics products accommodate black- 
and-white screen and output require- 
ments using hatching patterns or allow 
you to vary the colors displayed in color 
outputs. Each product's abilities in this 


area vary, as do their abilities to gener- 
ate and position chart legends and com- 
ments. establish axis and grid defini- 
tions, and orient and position the chart 
on a plotter or printer. 
aht-automatic b&w hatching 
mht-manual b&w hatching 
nht-no b&w hatching 
acc-automatic color choice 
mcc-manual color choice 
ncc-no color choice 
aci-automatic chart legends 
md-manual chart legends 
nd-no chart legends 
vip-variable legend position 
vcp-variable comment position 
aas-automatic axis scaling 
mas-manual axis scaling 
nas-no axis scaling 
agd-automatic grid display 
mgd-tnanual grid display 
ngd-no grid display 
atp-automatic tick precision 
adjustment 

mtp-manual tick precision 
adjustment 

ntp-no tick precision adjustment 
ppa-plot-area, page-position 
adjustment 

hva-plot orientation horizontal/vertical 
adjustment 

psa-page-size adjustment 
Inputs: 

Data-input methods are more important 
for graphics software than for most other 
software products because the data is 
usually generated elsewhere. These 
codes note the most popular tUsk-transfer 
formats along with alternative input 
methods. 

U(b-input fiom keyboard 
idk-input from ASCII file 
ims-input from mouse 
ipt-input fiom pad or tablet 
IfT-fne-fotm input sketching 


Chart Types: 

While many business users would be 
happy with just a bar chart, most want a 
graphics package that can produce a va- 
riety cf chart types. These are the chart 
types that have become business stan- 
dards. 

coluinn charts— 

These classic vertical bar charts are 
more popular than almost any other type 
of business graphic. There are many de- 
sirable variations on the theme, howev- 
er, and each program varies in its abili- 
ties to make column charts interesting. 
cIs-maximum number of columns 
cgs-maximum number of column 
groups 

cpg-maximum number of columns 
per group 

ssc-maximum number of segments per 
stacked colunui 

aoc-automatic overlapped column 
spedfication 

moc-manual overlapped column 
specification 

noc-no overlapped column specification 
3dc-three-dimensional columns 
nvc-numeric values on graph 
npc-user-positionable numeric values 


barcharts — 

Bar charts are the horizontal companion 
to column charts. Most programs that 
can do columns can also do bars, but 
may vary in how well they can enhance 
them. 

brs-maximum number of bars 
bgs-maximum number of bar groups 
bpg-maximum number of bars per 


group 

s.sb-maximum number of stacked 
segments per bar 
aob-automatic overlapped bar 
specifications 

mob-manual overlapped bar 
specifications 

cona'fuwrf om foBowing page 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE 11. 1985 


113 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


(Guide loGraphies Fact FUes cotainued) 

nob-no overlapped bar 
specifications 

3db-three-dimensional bars 
nvb-numeric values on graph 
npb-userpositionable numeric values 

Gantt charts — 

Project management would be a lost art 
without Gantt charts to help managers 
visualize how their projects are pro- 
gressing toward the goal. While most 
project management programs do a 
credible job of producing them, many 
graphics programs now have the ability 
to make Gantt charts that are refined 
enough to be used in boardroom presen- 
tations. 

hg-maximum number of items . 
rog-maximum number of rows 
ftg-fixed time periods 
utg-user-specified time periods 
smg-maximum number of symbol 
types 

organization charts — 

Tree-shaped organization charts can be 
used for displaying everything from a 
company’s inner workings to the struc- 
ture of a database. It’s a rare, but highly 
valued, graphics program than can do 
them well. 

smo-maximum number of symbols 
clo-maximum number of connecting 
lines 

sto-maximum number of symbol types 
tlo-maximum number of text lines per 
symbol 

vso-variable symbol size 

bubble charts — 

Bubble charts show the relative values of 
items by the size and position of circles 
(bubbles) in a coordinate range. There is 
a good chance that they will so grow in 
popularity because graphics programs 
can create them. 

bbs-maximum number of bubbles 
cpb-maximum number of characters per 
bubble 

lib-label inside bubble 
lob-label outside bubble 
lib-label on legend 


high-low charts — 

Stock market cfficionados are especially 
fond cf using high-low charts to track 
their favorite stocks or indices, but these 
charts can be used to track anything atoll 
that varies within a range over discrete 
time periods, such as days, weeks or 
months. 

ihi-maximum number of items 
shl-number of symbols 
uhl-numberof user-specified symbols 

surface area charts — 

Ins-maximum number of lines 
pis-maximum number of points per line 

Program Characteristics: 

How a business graphics enhancement 
package works may t^ect your choice 
more than its features. We’ve included 
both criteria in the Graphics Fact Files 
for those products. 

design method — 

Programs that permit freestyle drawing 
may be more useful for imaginative en- 
hancements, while more structured pro- 
grams may be more helpful to the busi- 
ness analyst trying to clarify a simple 
chart. 

fsd-firee-style drawing 
std-stiuctincd drawing and formatting 

user interface — 

Users enjoy working with a variety of 
menu styles, depending on their needs 
and tastes. The number of menu options 
will tell you how much you can probably 
do with the program. 
pdm-number of pull down menus 
mop-number of menu options 
top-total number of options 
imu-icon menus 
tmu-text menus 

type fonts and sizes — 

Type font styles and sizes can be impor- 
tant when enhancing a chart. We added 
more type style irformation here to em- 
phasize their importance. 
fht-number of fonts 
fhs-number of font sizes 
finy-number of font types 


pattern handling — 

Predefined patterns can make a program 
more useful, especially if you’re not ar- 
tistically inclined. Creating patterns is 
also usefid, and filling them with colors 
makes for more attractive charts. 
ppa-number of predefined patterns 
available 

upa-user-defmed patterns available 
vpf-variable pattern fill 

tools available — 

Graphics tools let you modify predefined 
or drawn images, paint them at will, and 
drag them around your screen. As with 
any crifi, the more graphics tools you 
have, the more you can do with your 
chart image. 

bbm-bit-by-bit manipulation 
vpb-variable paint brush 
shape and size 
spc-spray paint capabilities 
mir-miiTor imaging 
cop-image copy 
Mr-image drag and reposition 
iar-automatic image array generation 

predefined charts and images — 

Some graphics enhancement programs 
cannot accept charts from standard busi- 
ness graphics packages, but f you can 
create them using predefined images, all 
is not lost. These are the charts and im- 
ages that may he included. 
pcI-column 
pba-bar 
ppi-pie 
pli-line 
phi-high-low 
par-area 

image libraries — 

Image libraries are becoming more pop- 
ular in graphics enhancement packages. 
Some programs also allow you to merge 
a picture with a chart, or with another 
image — they may also cost extra. 
pis-number of images su|^lied 
(standard) 

ila-number of additional image libraries 
available 

ail-cost per additional image library 
sup-can superimpose images and charts 


114 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


The Graphic Details 


P c Magazine designed its sample 
business application (see below 
“The Scenario”) to test how well the 
software performed in its basic task: pro- 
ducing normal business charts. A de- 
tailed input form helped our reviewers 
collect consistent information from this 
eclectic group of programs. 

The primary comparison chart, a pie 
chart, which appears with each of the re- 
views, shows which categories of musi- 
cal instruments are now using the MIDI 
interface, E^ch reviewer had to produce 
this chart in both full-color and black- 
and-white versions to determine how the 
programs handled solid fill and hatching. 

They also used the available data to 
produce either a simple column (vertical 
bar) chart or a more complex chart with 
two y axes to show the rapid growth of 
the MIDI category compared to the slow- 
er growth rate for the entire musical in- 


strument category. Many programs can- 
not produce graphs with different >■ axes, 
and those that can often produce only one 
type of dual-axis chart. 

Other types of charts that the reviewers 
tried to produce included: a Gantt chart, a 
specialized form of chart in which boxes 
“float" in the chart space, positioned to 
show the start and end dates of some ac- 
tivity: organization charts; and high-low 
charts, which are used to indicate the 
closing price for a stock and the highest 
and lowest prices the stock sold at during 
the trading day. 

Not all the programs tested have the 
ability to produce all these charts. In- 
stead, PC asked each reviewer to create 
as many of the charts as possible, as well 
as any uniequested charts that a given 
program could create that were unusual 
or interesting. 

— Glenn A. Hart 


The Scenario 


C omputerBand Incorporated, a fic- 
tional hardware and software de- 
signer. manufacturer, and distributor, fo- 
cuses on computer-controlled music 
instruments and synthesizers. The new 
standard, MIDI (Musical Instrument 
Digital Interface), which establishes con- 
ventions for interconnecting computers 
and instruments, forms the backbone for 
its products. 

ComputerBand hardware includes a 
MIDI card for the PC, This card feature 
multiplexed output that can control up to 
six different MIDI-compatible musical 
devices. Software options include ma.ster 
control programs of various complexity 
and flexibility to control attached MIDI 
devices, libraries of synthesizer wave- 
forms to simulate various musical instru- 
ments, libraries of complex percussion 
patterns to control dmm synthesizer ma- 
chines, and so forth. 

The reviewers were to produce graph- 
ic images for a financial presentation to 
potential investors. ComputerBand’s 


marketing director insisted on some 
“sexy, impactful images," but the VP of 
finance wanted to convey statistics as 
well, (Note: the statistics are fictitious.) 

The reviewers prepared the pie chart 
that appears with each review from the 
instructions and data that follow: 

Pie Chart 

Title: Instrument Families Used with 
MIDI as of January 1985 
Data: Keyboard. 60 percent; Guitar, 20 
percent; Percussion, 13 percent; 
Other, 7 percent. 

Comments: Source: American Music 
Association, 1984 Market 
Survey, Courtesy AMA 
Notes: Prepared by ComputerBand, In- 
corporated, Marketing Depart- 
ment, March 1985 

Since many programs are not able to 
include as much comment and note text 
as specified, we asked the reviewers to 
use a legend to provide data item names 
and put the actual percentages near each 
“slice . ' ■ — Glenn A. Hart 


types that the product can produce and the 
available options for each type. It also in- 
cludes information on the product’s ability 
to move objects around and reorient them, 
insert legends and descriptions, use a vari- 
ety of typefaces and sizes, and adjust the 
graphics to different output media. 

The Fact File also lists compatible 
products, including plotters, printers, and 
monitors. Under the heading “Inputs,” it 
further lists formats that the program can 


Graphics packages 
vary greatly in how 
they work and how 
well they produce the 
desired images. 

read. These include data input sources 
(keyboard, light-pen, mouse, and so on), 
graphics formats, and data interchange 
sources (PeachCalc, 1-2-3, ASCII). (See 
the sidebar, “The Graphic Details,” for a 
fiill description of the items covered.) We 
were careful to mention whether or not 
each program allows you to enter data by 
hand if none of your sources can produce 
an acceptable input file product. (Believe it 
or not, some products don’t accept key- 
board input.) And, yes, where applicable, 
we even include details about mouse input. 
To get this information into a small space, 
we used three-letter codes (see “A Guide 
to the Graphics Fact Files,” which accom- 
panies this article). 

Last, but far from least, we exhibit a 
chart ortwo from each product. Each tester 
tried to produce a pie chart; when this 
wasn’t possible, the lest team produced a 
substitute chart. For as many products as 
possible, we produced a second chart that 
shows some other interesting aspect of the 
product’s graphics abilities. 

We packed all the information for each 
product onto a two-page spread so that you 
can easily locate the good and bad points of 
all 36 and maybe find the one that can best 
do the job for you . — John Dickinson 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


IIS 




BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Fast Graphs 

An Old-Timer That Still Ticks Pleasantly 


F ast Graphs, from Innovative 
Software, the company that pro- 
duces the Smart integrated soft- 
ware series, is a business graph- 
ics package that has been 
available practically since the 
birth of the PC. Its early gestation 
carries no significant penalty be- 
cause the product is quite compe- 
tent even by today’s standards. 
Fast Graphs uses predefined 
graphics formats with fill-in-the- 
blanks forms for graph specifica- 
tion and offers some special fea- 
tures as well. 

At first glance, you might 


TpMenOeut firoatn FprKMt for MIOI 



Fast Graptis produces distinct format variations for bar, 
pie, and line graphs. 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 
60X 




Keyboard 

Guitar 

Percussion 

Other 


iKrer amticm NMic AMclttlofi 
19 M Nvtot arvty 
ky OHSutaeMM Inc. 


116 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 



think that Fast Graphs can produce graphs 
in only three formats: bar, pie, and line. 
However, each category produces many 
variations that other products call “distinct 
formats.” For example, the bar chart for- 
mat can make vertical or horizontal single 
bars, clustered or stacked bars, line bars, 
and two- and three-dimensional variations; 
it even has special provisions for Gantt 
charts. The line formal produces both line 
and scatter charts. 

Little Niceties 

Fast Graphs relies on the function keys 
to choose options and the cursor keys to 
navigate around the various screens and 
forms. Little niceties abound in Fast 
Graphs; for instance, the program auto- 
matically changes the numeric keypad 
from number mode to cursor control 
mode, and back again, as the type of per- 
missible entry changes. 

Fast Graphs imports data from foreign 
files stored in standard ASCII, DIF, 
SYLK, PerfectCalc, or SuperC ale for- 
mats. These files, as well as the data you 
enter at the keyboard, appear on a spread- 
sheetlike screen that resembles a blank I- 
2-3 or SuperCalc display. The program 
does not include many spreadsheet func- 
tions beyond the ability to sum row values. 
Its spreadsheet design is more of a meta- 
phor than a real spreadsheet. However, it 
is simple and pleasant to use. 

Among its special features. Fast 
Graphs allows you to overlay two charts 
for an unusual set of visual effects. It also 
has a good slide show system that quickly 
snaps predefined graphs onto your PC’s 
display screen. In addition. Fast Graphs’s 
slide show system is simple and easy to un- 
derstand. 

The program’s graphics screen-editing 
facility is most unusual. It's sort of a mini- 
CAD that enables you to draw circles, 
arcs, straight lines, boxes, and other 
shapes on the screen. You can also add 
regular or double-size characters to the dis- 
play. After you complete your screen im- 
age, you can save it to disk and then super- 
impose it onto any regular graph. "This 
feature is handy for incorporating compa- 
ny logos or other complex designs into 
graphs. 

Fast Graphs's chart options do have 
some limitations. They offer little freedom 


of choice regarding the size and placement 
of chart elements. For example, if you 
want to add comments to a chart, you are 
restricted to a fixed position and size; in 
fact, the comments in the test charts often 
appear too small. In addition, if you set a 
title line or legend to large size and it is too 
long. Fast Graphs doesn’t alert you; it 
simply overwrites some of the text into a 
mishmash. 

Aside from these problems, it was easy 
to define and plot the various PC test 
graphs. A Hewlett-Packard 7475A plotter 
quickly produced the plotted output but not 
always perfectly. The HP is capable of 
much better edge definition than appears 
on Fast Graphs's pie charts. This program 
obviously sends less-precise instructions 
to the plotter than other programs do. Fast 
Graphs doesn’t consistently do a good job 
of filling in solid areas. For instance, the 
legends on Fast Graphs's solid-filled 
charts are completely solid, while the actu- 
al chart areas are not . 


Fast Graphs’s 
graphics screen- 
editing facility is sort 
of a mini-CAD that 
enables you to draw 
shapes on the 
screen. 

Tixiublefree Installation 

Fast Graphs has no copy-protection re- 
quirements or other confusions to gum up 
the installation process, and it’s easy to 
specify the plotter and/or printer. The pro- 
gram’s documentation is typeset and nice- 
ly tabbed but lacks a glossary and index. 
Its operation is so simple and straightfor- 
ward that the manual’s weaknesses don’t 
really matter all that much, but the docu- 
mentation is clearly not up to the standard 
set by the rest of the program. 

For all its minor problems. Fast Graphs 
produces a nice array of charts and is quite 
easy to use. Some newer graphics pro- 
grams may surpass Fast Graphs, but the 
package remains attractive in marw 
ways. ■ 


Fast Graphs 2.02 

Innovative Software 
9300 W. noth St.. #380 
Overland Park. KS 66210 
(913) 383-1089 

CIRCLE 682 ON READER SEFIVICE CARD 


UST PRICE: $350 

REQUIRES: I28K RAM. two disk drives 

SliPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Graphics 
Printers-Diablo; Epson; IBM: IDS Prism; 
Okidata M84: Star Micronics: Toshiba; 
Centronics 353; C. ItohSSIO 
Ploders-Hewletl-Packard 7470, 7475; Amdek 
DXY-lOO; Houston Instruments; Panasonic 
VP-6801 A; Amplot II; Strobe; Sweet-P; 

IBM XY/749;CaIcomp 
DOS versions-! .1. 2.0, 2.1, 3.0 
Other operating systems-nonc 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 

Manual-tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: nep 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: pcf. 
ped 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: ssh, 
asd, msd 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FACIUTIES: 

Hatching-aht, mht 
Color choice-acc. mcc 
Legends-mcl 
Header Iines-3 
Comment lines-3 
Note lines-3 
Comment position-none 
Type fonts- 1 
Type font sizes-2 
Chari overlays-2 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick precisior>-atp 
Page adjustment-none 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics formaLs-none 
Standard formats-DIF. ASCII, SuperCalc. 
SYLK 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts- 1 20 cIs, 60 egs, 6 cpg, 6 ssc, noc. 
3dc 

Bar charts- 120 brs. 60 bgs, 6 bpg, 6 ssb, nob. 
3db 

Linechart$-6 Ins. I20ppl. 1 tpl, 6 Ism, vsm, sp! 

Regression types-none 

Pie charts- 1 2 psl, 12eps. ppv, apv, epv 

Text/ word charts- 1 fpc 

Gantt charts-nonc 

Organization charts-none 

Bubble charts-none 

High-low charts-none 

Surface-area charts-6 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


117 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


dGRAPHffl 


dGRAPH III Charts a dBASE Course 


F ox & Geller has created a series 
of graphics packages designed to 
import data from various data- 
base and spreadsheet formats. 
dGRAPH HI is its product de- 
signed for dSASE/// users. After 
a cursory inspection it appears to 
be a competent tool for creating 
charts and graphs, either from 
information stmed in dBASE III 
files or through its own interac- 
tive data entry system. But a 
closer look reveals that the data 
inputs could be smoother and the 
gt^ic outputs are less attractive 
than they could be. 



dGRAPH W allows you to “bulk)” the Input of a now graph 
from previously created charts. 



118 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE II, 1983 



The program does a commendable job 
of importing data from dBASE III . 
dGRAPH takes the data and lists the names 
of all the fields in the database. Graphs are 
created as you specify which data input 
fields should be graphed. Furthermore, 
you can manipulate the data input fields in 
a variety of ways — ^you can perform arith- 
metic operations on any fields, charting 
averages of data, counts of records, and 
percentages of a sum or of a count. Using 
dGRAPH ///, it is possible to visually rep- 
resent information contained in any 
dBASE III database. Unfortunately, the 
graphed information is not especially at- 
tractive, and the process deserves a better- 
documented tutorial . 

Creating a graph with dGRAPH'^ own 
data entry system involves naming the 
graph, defining and entering the input, se- 
lecting the type of graph, and specifying its 
characteristics. 

In addition to standard bar, line, and pie 
graphs, dGRAPH allows you to create the 
less-common pie-bar (a type of sliced bar 
chart) and multichart. The dGRAPH'^ 
multichart is a viable alternative to over- 
laid charts; however, the creation process 
is a tricky, hit-or-miss proposition. The 
feature allows you to print either two color 
or three black-and-white graphs next to 
one another. Because the original chart 
labels will almost always be too long and 
tun into one another, they must be 
cropped. The multichart requires a new 
mock-up, with new graphs stored to a new 
extension, irt order to fit the page. Inevi- 
tably, you must “guestimate” the graphed 
results until you get it right. 

The program sports some powerful en- 
hanced features. You can “build” the in- 
put of a new graph from previously created 
dGRAPH charts. An “autograph” feature 
lets you customize default parameters, in- 
cluding shadings and scalings. There’s an 
inverse option for reversing the back- 
gtound/foreground video. With the zoom 
option you can crop empty space from bar 
and line charts or focus on a particularly 
data-intensive area of the chart. An “accu- 
mulate” feature allows you to create 
stacked bar charts from cumulative data. 
Averages can be automatically indicated 
on any line or bar graph. 

Coupled with these advanced features 
are some serious limitations. Titles, notes. 


and comments are restricted and severely 
abbreviated in normal dGRAPH opera- 
tions. To put reasonable titles on a graph, 
you must create a special text file. This file 
is not available to the display screen, but it 
can be printed or plotted. 

The data entry screen is limited to 4 col- 
umns and 52 rows (bar and line graphs) or 
12 pie slices. This restriction made it im- 
possible to plot the standard S-column bar 
chart used during this project in more than 
one color. Furthermore, dGRAPH text is 
restricted to one font and one font size, 
which makes it difficult to vary the look of 
your graphs. The font is not especially at- 
tractive; it’s thin and has a erode dot matrix 
appearance. 

It’s easy to lose your way in dGRAPH' i 
series of screen-naming conventions. 
dGRAPH files have different extension 
names for the printed version, color ver- 
sion, black-and-white version, single- 
chart version, multichart version, and oth- 
ers too numerous to mention. The possible 
scenarios for error are endless. 

Occasionally dGRAPH specters haunt 
the screen. Once, when the program 
couldn’t find a file, it chose to draw its 
own, complete with its own set of data. 
This mystery GOMANGO.BAT file ap- 
peared in the program’s directory, but it 
disappeared upon reentry to DOS. In an- 
other instance, when a previous screen that 
did not exist was requested, dGRAPH sup- 
plied a screenful of unidentifiable code. A 
revision and some general housekeeping 
are sorely needed. 

The graphs you save eat up disk space: 
Creating six graph examples consumed an 
entire disk. The program has a busy, clut- 
tered feel to it— the screen displays have 
too much information for comfort, and the 
manual is too crowded to make the pur- 
pose of any given screen tutorial easily dis- 
tinguishable. The plotted output is disap- 
pointing compared to the screen image — 
it’s poorly filled, the pie charts are com- 
posed of individual jaggedy tangents, the 
colors aren’t deep, and the text fonts have 
a very matiixlike appearance. While the 
program’s purpose — Uansporting and 
graphing database information — is ful- 
fill^, the execution needs improvement, 
dGRAPH III is an expensive package that 
really should produce better than “so-so” 
output. ■ 


dGRAPH in LO 

Fox & Geller 
604 Market Street 
Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 
(201)794-8883 

CIRCLE 693 ON READEH SERVICS CABO 


UST PRICE; $293 

REQUIRES: 96K RAM, two disk drives 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boaids-lBM Color/Giaphics or 
compatible 

Piinters-Okidata; IDS Prism 80, 132; Anadex 
9000A. 9501 A, 9001 A, 9501 A, 7000; NEC 
Spinwriter; Epson; Diablo 1750; C. Iloh 8510; 
Datasouth 180 

Plotlere-Hewleli-Packaid 7470A, 7475A 
DOS versions-1 . 1 , 2.0 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMEIVTATION: 

Tutorial-stu, ptu 
Manual-idx, tes, gtm 

COPT raOTECnON: nep 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACOmES: 

pcf, ped 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: none 

SCREEN/PRINTER/FLOTTER 

FACIUTIES: 

Hatching-mht 
CoIm* cbotce-mcc 
Legends-mcl 
Header lines- 1 
Comment lines-12 
Notelines-12 
Comment posidem-none 
Typefonls-1 
Type font sizes-l 
Ch^ overiays-none 
Axis scaling-nas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick precision-mq> 

Plot-area page adjustment-none 
Plot lK«iz./vert. ^justment-hva 
Page-size adjustmeni-none 

INPUTS: 

Source-ikb 

Gr^>hics formats-none 
Standard foonats-ASCn, DBF 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-S2 els. 4 cgs, 52 cpg, 4 ssc, noc 

Barchails-S2 brs. 4 bgs. S2bpg. 4 ssb. nob 

Line cliaits-4 Ins, 52 ppi, 4 tpl, 4 Ism, utl, usm 

Regression types-none 

Pie charts-12 psl, apv, uap 

Text/word charts-none 

Gantt charts-none 

Otganiz^on charts-none 

Bubble charts-Hxme 

High-low chaits-ncMie 

Surface-area charts-4 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II, 1985 


119 






BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Micrograph by 2Y’s 


Rigid and Limited Graphics 


A bare-bones program. Micro- 
graph by 2Y’s (akaMCG) is easy 
enough to learn in an hour but of- 
fers no extras to captivate a grow- 
ing user. It draws line graphs, 
histograms, and pie charts and 
performs some statistical analy- 
sis. With the reduction of pro- 
gram complexity comes a corre- 
sponding lack of control over the 
final product, and because 
MCG’s graphs all look similar, 
they are bland and uninteresting. 

MCG uses a mixture of menus 
and data entry screens to create a 
graph. The bulk of the program 


involves getting data into a file that MCG 
can use and display graphically. The easi- 
est way to enter data is to type it directly 
into MCG. The program can also import 
data from VisiCalc, 1-2-3, SuperCalc, aitd 
dBASE H, but you must set up the spread- 
sheet in precisely the right matmeror AfCC 
will not accept the input. 

The package is decidely skewed toward 
engineering applications. In MCG termin- 
ology, a “series” of data is defined as hav- 
ing up to 24 individual “observations.” 
An “observation” is the strtallest unit of 
data. Each observation has a name that can 
appear on the x-axis (for instance, Jan. , 
Feh ). Each series has a name that 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 

As Of January 1985 


KiyM an \ 



MCG’s pie charts can only accommodate two data series, which are eventually displayed as two pie charts side by side. 


120 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE II. 1985 


can appear in a legend. 

A maximum of four series can be en- 
tered, all of which can be displayed in a 
column or line graph. Pie charts can only 
accommodate two series, and the result is 
graphed as two pie charts displayed side by 
side. MCG can also create scatter charts 
and perfoim linear regressions. The points 
on the scatter chart are approximated by a 
straight line. Both the screen display aixl 
printed version of these graphs display cal- 
culated means, standard Aviations, and 
other statistical goodies. 

MCG's data-entry process is rigid. The 
data is entered into columns, but you can- 
not maneuver about the columns as you 
would with a sfaeadsheet package. MCG 
offers some “sla^ conrunands” to facili- 
tate entering arxl editing of data, but they 
often do not work as they are supposed to. 
For example, typing /D, intended to delete 
a series of data, has no effect. 

It's not unusual for MCG to mangle 
your data. Sometimes whole colunms of 
figures suddenly change values. Some- 
times legends disappear. You can edit data 
items individually, but the process is a te- 
dious one. You can’t insert or delete a data 
item in the middle of a series of observa- 
tions without typing in all or much of the 
entire range. Usually it’s easier to type the 
entire data colutim over again. 

When you define a new graph ^modi- 


fy an existing one, the new version will be 
added to the existing file without deleting 
the old. These versions within the same 
file are called “layouts.” Thus, you’ll 
wind up with a sin^e file containing vari- 
ous layouts of data and graph definitions — 
some of them good, some of them bad, 
some of them just slight modifications of 
others. The problem is, you can’t delete 
unwanted layouts individually. You must 
create a new file, move the layouts you 
wish to save, into it, and delete the old 
files. This system is clumsy and likely to 
create a confusing mess. 

The manual is not typeset and is printed 
on only one side of the paper. It does not 
provide any screen shots to guide you 
through the data entry. Without screen dia- 
grams in the docrunentation, it’s difficult 
to figure out the relationship between data 
entered arxl graphic output. 

The MCG manual has less than 30 
pages of text and over 10 pages of unim- 
pressive sample graphs. The sample illus- 
trations are not captioned or identified. 
Standing alone, and unexplained, the sam- 
ple graphs are not especially helpful; pe- 
rusing them only confirms that there are no 
“hidden” features in 3fCG. 

The graphs you can create with MCG, 
although legible and accurate, are locked 
into a rigid format that is not especialte 
pleasing or interesting. B 


MknviVhhrmM 

Willy Verbestel 
12D’AnK)ur 
Aylmer, Quebec 
CmiadaJ9J 1C2 
(819)770-7191 

OHCLE 690 ON nEACER SERVICE CAWD 


usrrniicE:$i93 

REQUIRES: I2SK RAM. one disk drive 
SUmMOS; 

Video boaids-IBM Odor/Graphics 
Piinters-Epsoo MX, FX, and compatibles; 
OlddalaMgd 

PtoOeia-Hewlea-Packaid 7470-A, 

Radio Shack COP-IIS 
DOS vetskns-l . 1, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0 
Other opesating systemsHioiK 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Ttdorial-ntu 
MamuU-gtm, tcs 

CXMY FROTXCntXV: ncp, hda 
GENERAL atArmCS FACnJITES: 

pcf,pcd 

SCREEN tauraics FACIUTIES: none 

SCRE EN/F RlNTERiPLOTTER 

FACTUITES: 

Hatcfaing-aht 
Color choioe-acc 
Legends-acI, fame 
Header lines-2 
Comment lines-0 
No(elines-0 
Comment positmo-none 
Typefbots-l 
Type fool sizes-3 
Quatoverlays-O 
Ards scaling^-aas, mas 
Giiddisplay-ogd 
Tadtpredskm-ntp 

Page adjustment-liva (printer), psa (printer) 

INPUTS: 

Somces-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 
Standard formats-DIF, PRN (SuperCaic), 
DBF 

CHART TYPES: 

Cohrmn cfaarts-96 els. 24 cgs. 4 cpg. 4 ssc. 

noc. nvc 
Bardiarts-none 

l.iiie cfaarts-4 Ins. 24 ppl. 4 tpl. spl. rcl. rdl 

Regression types-linear 

Pie cliarts-24 psl. apv 

Text/word duuts-none 

Gantt cfaarts-none 

Organizatioo charts-notK 

Bubble cfaarts-notK 

High-low ebarts-none 

Surface-area chaits-4 Ins 


Prlctl 


ComputerBand Cominon Stock Price 

March. 1985 


frlcal 



High 

Lpv 


A maximum of four sories can be displayed on a typical line graph. 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


121 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Infographics CHOICE 


A Full Menu of Choices 

C hoice from infographics is a 
graphics program that tries hard 
to live up to its name. Although 
the number of basic chart types it 
will prepare automatically from 
your data is limited, you can 
combine these types and layouts 
in so many (over 3,500) ways, 
your options seem much broad- 
er. The program also supports an 
unusually wide variety of graph- 
ics cards, monitors, pen plotters, 
and printers. 

Because CHOICE supports 
so many devices, you can install 
only the drivers you need on your 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 

As of January, 1905 


Keyboard Guitar Percussion Other 




CHOICE’S Design Intelligence program takes your data 
and automatically chooses the best chart 


122 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE II. 1985 


working disk — a process clearly explained 
in the documentation. Once the drivers are 
installed, the program lets you switch be- 
tween two monitors, two printers, and a 
pen plotter. 

CHOICE is menu-driven. You enter 
most commands by pointing to your 
choice with the arrow keys and pressing 
Esc, The basic chart types available are 
bar, surface area, horizontal bar, stacked 
bar, stepped line, and pie. The number of 
ways you can combine charts into layouts 
is amazing: You can mix line graphs with 
bar charts, coluirms, and pies. The pro- 
gram allows you to specify a variety of grid 
arrangements in the layout. For example, 
you can indicate that you want a grid for a 
line graph, bar chart, or surface chart on 
the left-hand side of the page with two pie 
charts on the right-hand side. 

Data Entry 

Entering the data to be charted is easy. 
You can use up to three lines for the title. 
Next, you define the number and name of 
each data set, which CHOICE calls a data 
“key,” followed by the number of catego- 
ries within each data set. CHOICE then 
presents a spreadsheetlike table listing 
each data-set title down the side with each 
category label across the top. Entering the 
data and editing it is as simple as using a 
spreadsheet. 

When you type in all the data for a chart 
and save it to disk, the program appends 
the suffix .DIF to the filename to indicate 
that it is storing the information as a .DIF 
file. This format permits instant use of in- 
formation from a spreadsheet such as Visi- 
Calc. When you want to retrieve your data 
file, you must type in the entire filename, 
including the .DIF extension. At this 
point, it would be nice if the program pro- 
vided the extension for you, since it is al- 
ways the same. Also, to load the file, you 
must press Return afterwards. Since this is 
one of the few places in the program where 
Esc is not used to enter information, you 
might find it confusing to suddenly change 
to the Return key. 

Once you have entered the data, you 
may use the program in one of two ways: 
You may either specify how the chart 
should look by answering a series of ques- 
tions about the chart, or you may invoke a 
program called Design Intelligence. De- 


sign Intelligence takes the data you have 
entered and automatically chooses the best 
way to represent that data, including the 
type of chart. In this mode, CHOICE 
makes the decisions for you, giving you no 
say whatsoever in how the chart looks. 
The program did an excellent job of graph- 
ing the information we entered and chose a 
chart type that was actually clearer than the 
one we selected when preparing the chart 
manually. 

To pnxluce a chart without using De- 
sign Intelligence, you select the device to 
which you want to output the chart and an- 
swer a series of questions about the chart's 
format. After plotting the chart, the pro- 
gram asks if you want any additional 
copies, which saves you from having to 
answer the format questions again for that 
session. However, the format is not saved 
to disk for use in later sessions — an unfor- 
tunate omission in the overall design. 

Although CHOICE offers a wide selec- 
tion of chart types, certain chart character- 


The program 
supports an 
unusually wide 
variety of graphics 
cards, monitors, 
and printers. 

istics cannot be changed. For example, 
you cannot turn off the grid lines in a line 
chart or graph, and you cannot change the 
format of the legend or specify whether or 
not to even have one. Nor do you have a 
choice of different fonts; the program al- 
ways uses very legible, but basically bor- 
ing, block letters. 

Despite these shortcomings, the charts 
produced on the IBM graphics screen are 
as good as the resolution allows, and those 
drawn on a plotter are of high quality. 
CHOICE'^ unique Design Intelligence 
feature is a real plus for those who don't 
have the time or interest to become expert 
chartists . CHOICE offers a good variety of 
options and, if you don't mind its limita- 
tions, it is a solid investment. B 


Infoeraphlcs CHOICE 2.0 

Infographics. Inc. 

I7%1 Cowan Avenue 
Irvine. C A 92714 
(7I4)474-I.S30 

CIRCCE 694 ON REAOEH SCRVICE CARO 


LIST PRICE: $395 

REQUIRES: 1 2SK RAM. two disk drives 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-lBM Color/Graphics or 
Monochrome. Plantronics Plus. Hercules. 
IBM 3270-PC 

IMniers-IBM Color Epson; Data Products; 

Diablo 630; Transtar 3 1 5; Centronics 2.‘50 
Plottcrs-Hewlett-Packaid 7220. 7220T. 

7470A. 7475A; Houston Instruments DMP29. 
DMP40 

DOSversions-2.0.2.1.3.0 
Other operating systems-CP/M 

DOClfMENTATION: 

Tutorial- ptu 
Manual-tcs 

COPV PROTECTION: Icf. hda 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACILmF.S: 
pcf. ped 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTITOi: aab 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FACnJTIES: 

Hatching~mht 
Color choice-acc. mcc 
Legends-acl. none 
Header line.s-3 
Comment line^none 
Note lines-none 
Comment position-nor>e 
Type fonis-l 
Type font sizes- 1 
Chart overlays-^ 

Axisscaling-aas, mas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick precision-ntp 
Plot-area page adjustment-ppa 
Plot boriz. /vert, adjusimenl-hva 
Page-size adjustment-nonc 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 

Graphics formats-none 

Standard formais-DIF. SYLK, SDF. SDI 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-60 cIs. 6 cgs. 60 cpg, 6 ssc. 
noc 

Bar charts-609 br*. 6 bgs, 60 bpg. 6 ssb, nob 

Line charts-6 Ins. 60 ppl. 6 tpl 

Regression types-nonc 

Pic chans-6 psl, 6 eps. ppv 

Text/word charts-nonc 

Gnntt charts- none 

Organization charts-nonc 

Bubble charts-none 

High-low charts-none 

Surface-area chans-6 Ins. 60 pis 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


123 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 

PC Illustrator 


Freehand Illustrating for Graphics with Pizzazz 


C Illustrator combines freehand 
drawing and business graphics in 
one easy-to-use package. It en- 
ables you to create charts and has 
various tools for adding pizzazz 
to your graphics presentations, 
including a MacPaint-like inter- 
face complete with paintbmshes, 
fill-in patterns, icons, and an ar- 
row-shaped cursor. 

PC Illustrator offers the stan- 
dard chart types: bar, area, line, 
and pie. Special features include 
two- and three-dimensional bars, 
stacked bars, and the option of 
printing several pie charts on one 



1 









l‘''l 




1 

*1 r "i V'll 


..I 

,ll.. 

C:::'' i, ::i 

..! V:il 

IJ li 1,1 1) 

.,l:i 

..1" 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 

l^Ei? ti: 


PC Illustrator’s chart enhancement options can produce 
jazzy presentations. 




IBM 


llllllll 



_n.. , 


‘“.“ira — ' 


Used with MIDI 

As -Jan. 1981 


Keyboard 

60 


bi„,i 1 'I: a I 



Percuss 

13 

□ ther 


'■Ilnur'"' •■■■ijiiiiii- 


124 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 





page. With the Create Graphs menu you 
choose the chart type, fill patterns, colors, 
and grid pattern. You can create other 
chart types using two graphic-symbol li- 
braries, one for electrical diagramming 
and one for computer program flowchart- 
ing. The program also offers several text 
options for word charts, and you can en- 
hance and manipulate any chart with the 
freehand drawing tools — features that are 
not often available with charting pro- 
grams. 

You can use PC Illustrator with the PC 
keyboard, a mouse, a light-pen, or a digi- 
tizing pad. The program also lets you work 
in color on the screen; you can select three 
foreground colors on one background col- 
or from a palette of seven. The program 
prints on Epson or IBM dot matrix printers 
only; the output looks good for dot matrix 
printing, but you can’t print in color. The 
printer driver does not require any special 
installation. 

The program is entirely menu-driven. 
Icons represent all menu selections. You 
can make selections only by pointing with 
the cursor. Moving the cursor around with 
the arrow keys is slow, but tests found the 
cursor response to a Microsoft mouse to be 
fast and accurate. 

Entering chart data is extremely easy. A 
data worksheet presents a row-by-column 
matrix; each row is a data set, and each col- 
umn represents the data values for each 
category. Editing the data is as simple as 
changing an entry on a spreadsheet. Once 
you have saved your chart data, you can 
indicate where you want the chart to ap- 
pear on the screen, thus leaving room to 
draw a freehand picture on the empty por- 
tions of the screen around the chart. 

In the drawing mode, you can add a 
chart title or other labels at any location on 
the screen. Text is available in any one of 
eight fonts, each of which comes in nine 
different sizes and can be displayed hori- 
zontally or slanted to the left or right at a 
45- or 90-degtee angle. You can move 
parts of images around the screen or dupli- 
cate them. You can also cut or copy parts 
of one screen and paste them onto another 
screen. To fine-tune an image, you enter 
the editing mode, in which the image is 
blown up to eight times normal size, al- 
lowing you to work with individual pixels. 

You can work on only one picture at a 


time, and you must return to the main 
menu each time you want to select a differ- 
ent drawing tool. This requirement makes 
the drawing process less free-flowing than 
if you could select the tools from the draw- 
ing area itself. It's unfortunate that this 
program does not conie with more exten- 
sive freehand graphics libraries. 

On with the Show 

PC Illustrator has a “slide show” fea- 
ture that replays a list of picture files on the 
screen. You indicate which pictures you 
want to display along with the length of 
time they will appear on-screen and special 
display effects, which include dissolving 
from one picture to the next and dropping a 
color curtain between pictures. 

The manual is unattractively printed but 
adequate. Its explanations are terse, but 
good enough, since the program is so easy 
to use. The manual says that you can make 
a copy of the program disk with DISK- 
COPY and then put EXDS on it. The fact is 


PC Illustrator has 
a MacPaint-like 
interface complete 
with paintbrushes, 
icons, and an arrow- 
shaped cursor. 

that you can’t copy all the files from the 
original disk to a blank disk formatted un- 
der DOS 2.0; there is not enough room. 
You can squeeze the whole program onto 
one disk only by deleting some of the sam- 
ple images that come with the program. 

Despite all its good features, PC Illus- 
trator lacks options that you may not want 
to live without. For example, it will not let 
you use more than one scale on the same 
chart. It gives you no leeway in numbering 
the tick marks — you can’t choose the step 
for each numbering increment. Also, the 
highest value of data becomes the top of 
the chart scale — you can’t designate the 
end point of the scale. Some will find the 
inability to print in color unacceptable. 
Still, it’s a great buy for $95. B 


PC DlnstratorZ^ 

Computer Gn^jhics Group, Inc. 
562 14th Street NW 
Atlanta. GA30318 
(404)876-9469 


CIRCLE 680 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


LIST PRICE: $95 

REQUIRES: 2S6K RAM. one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Coior/Gra{4ucs 
Printers-Epson Graftrax; IBM Gr^ihics; 
Hewlett-Packard 'DunkJet; Canon Ink Jet; 
Quadiam Quadjet; C. Itob 85 10 
Plotten-flone 
DOS versi<ms-2.0, 2. 1 
Odier opiating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ntu 
Manual-gtm, idx, tcs 

COPV PROTECTION: ncp 

(XNERAL GRAPHICS FACDJTIES: pcf. 
pcd 

SCREEN raiAFHICS FACimiES: ssh, 
asd, msd 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FAdUTIES: 

Hatching-altt, mht 
Color cboice-acc, mcc 
Legends-aci, nx:l. vlp 
Header lines-unlimit^ 

Gmunent lines-mnlimited 
Note line»-unlimited 
Comment posititm-fq) 

Typefont^ 

T^ie foot sizes-9 
Quut overlays-unlimited 
Axis scaling-aas 
Grid display-agd 
Tick precisioD-m^ 

Page adjustment-psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources-iM>. ims, ipt, iff 
Grqihics fonnats-fwoe 
Standard fonnats-none 

PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS: 

Design method-fsd, std 
User interface-93 mop, imii, tmu 
Type fonts and sizes-8 fot, 9 fhs. 8 fhy 
Pattern handting-20 ppa 
Drawing tools-4)bm, vpb, cq>. idr 
Predefined charts and images-pci, ppi, idi, par 
Other business chart fonnats-variance, stacked 
column, line/coiunui. line/stacked column, 
line/aiea 

Image libraries-4 pis. sup 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


125 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


EnerGraphics 


A Step Ahead of the Rest 


nerGraphics is an energetic 
number cruncher that turns data 
from a variety of sources into 
good-looking graphs and techni- 
cal pictures. It’s a full-service 
graphics package that generates 
all the standard chart formats 
based on mathematical func- 
tions, data files from popular 
programs, and direct input from 
the keyboard. EnerGraphics 
even includes a screen slide- 
show option, hee-form drawing, 
and libiaries of prestored sym- 
bols and fonts. EnerGraphics is 
really a step ahead of the rest with 
a new dimension in “electronic 
drawing boards’’ — operated 
with the PC’s cursor keys, this 
screen window can accept draw- 
ings not only of two, but of three 
dimensions. 

While other packages may of- 
fer 3-D look-alikes, EnerGra- 
phics brings you the real thing. In 


fact, EnerGraphics' s 3-D feature makes 
you think you’re using an engineering 
workstation. To produce a 3-D image, you 
either type in the appropriate mathematical 
function or build it on the drawing board 
by creating its “surfaces.” It’s no snap to 
work with the 3-D drawing board, but with 
some time and patience, you can do such 
neat things as draw a simple rectangle and 
then rotate it around a reference line to pro- 
duce a 3-D column. 

The advantage to real 3-D graphics is 
that the images can automatically manipu- 
late. “Pseudo” 3-D images or graphs are 
not very good because you can’t view 
them from the other side or from below; 
you have to create those perspectives man- 
ually and store them separately. EnerGra- 
phics stores objects and surfaces in 3-D. 
Once you define and store a 3-D image, 
the program automatically rotates it, flips 
it, enlarges or shrinks it, and removes 
‘ ‘hidden’ ’ lines (lines that would be bidden 
from display if the image were solid). 

EnerGraphics' s data-analysis abilities 


E 

• iasa-r,-' 




Instrument Families Used with MIDI 


Keyboard 



For ■ cudomlnd look, pin charts muat btt apnjoed up manually. 


are impressive. Line charts, for example, 
can contain up to 10 lines and 200 data 
points and can use logarithmic or semilog- 
arithmic scales. If you want to plot a line 
chart horn many data points, you have a 
choice of using either curve-fitting, linear 
regression, or polynomial regression to de- 
termine what line best describes your data. 
Or you can plot the data points without a 
trend line in a scatter graph. 

Bar graphs are equally impressive in 
EnerGraphics. The program produces all 
the major bar chart variations including 
stacked, overlapping, negative, vertical, 
and horizontal, plus multiple bars with 
multiple scales. You control the colors and 
fill patterns from the menu of choices. In 
contrast, EnerGraphics' s pie charts lack 
the riKMith-watering special effects of the 
other charts because there’s no 3-D option 
for them. For a customized look, you must 
manually spruce up your pie charts on the 
electronic drawing board. 

The 2-D and 3-D drawing boards make 
up the backbone of this package. They are 
so sophisticated that engineers could use 
them to do basic computer-aided design 
(CAD). Drawings can contain up to 800 
lines and 200 arcs and symbols — perfect 
for architectural designs, floor-plan lay- 
outs, and so forth. Freehand drawing from 
the keyboard can be slow and cumber- 
some, but the fun begins once you have a 
drawing on the screen. You can rotate text 
or drawings, blow them up or shrink them 
almost without limit, and replicate them 
elsewhere on the screen. If you use special 
pictures or symbols repeatedly, you can 
design them dot-for-dot rather than using 
the line-oriented abilities of the drawing 
board. The program gives you a harxly 
way of creating these dot-matrix patterns: 
an empty grid in which each square of the 
grid represents one dot. You simply fill in 
the grid to produce the desired pattern. 

Collections of prestored symbols come 
with the package and are useful for certain 
technical drawings. The libraries are called 


126 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 



templates because you use the symbols as 
building blocks to develop your drawings. 
Ten templates as well as four alternate type 
fonts and all of the Greek symbols are 
shown in the appendix of the manual. The 
electrical and mechanical symbols will 
probably interest only specialized users 
while the flowchart template has wider ap- 
plicability. 

Getting started with EnerGraphics 
takes time despite a friendly menu, an or- 
ganized manual, and example data to be 
used with the manual’s tutorial. One prob- 
lem is that creating drawings using key- 
board input is cumbersome (the company 
plans to adapt the program to accept input 
from x-y graphics devices such as a digitiz- 
ers and tablets). Drawing 3-D graphics 
surface-by-surface is not easy. Another 
problem is a nearly illegible manual. Evi- 
dently, the company shopped around for a 
new printer, because the newest version of 
the manual is legible. Yet the original 
problem of photoreduced figures and print 
of screen displays remains. 

In general, Enertronics Research 
should have paid more attention to details 
in designing and testing the package. The 
program crashed several times while I was 
just trying to follow directions. Another 
minor but annoying point is that it’s easy to 
confuse the “draw graph’’ function key 
with its neighboring “create graph” func- 


tion key, which destroys all of the data 
without warning and cleans the slate for a 
new graph. Since the two options sound so 
similar ^e program should at least double- 
check that you really want to restart the 
creation process before it throws out the 
data you have entered. 

The package does offer a slide-show 
feature so that you can display in sequence 
the graphics you create. But one limitation 
is that you can store only 18 slides on one 
disk. Also, to use graphs and drawings 
generated from data or mathematical func- 
tions in the slide show, you must fu^t save 
them as slide-show pictures — but there’s 
no room for the associated data. This extra 
step in creating a slide show takes time, but 
the resultant images appear instantly on the 
screen. That’s a nice feature because the 3- 
D graphics, complete with hidden-line re- 
moval, can take a long time to plot — a fact 
that the manual fails to mention. By first 
saving all of your generated graphics as 
screen pictures, your slide shows can in- 
stantly flip through 3-D graphics, bar and 
line charts, and technical drawings. 

If you have a lot of data and need a 
heavy-duty data-analysis package that can 
produce detailed technical drawings and 
good-looking graphs, you don’t have to 
look any further — EnerGraphics may be 
one of the better business/presentation 
graphics packages available. B 


EnefGnq>hics L3 

Enertronics Research, Inc. 
I50N. Mcramec, #207 
St. Louis. MO 63 105 
(800)325-0174 
(314)725-5.566 

CIRCLE 685 ON READER SERVICE CARO 


LIST PRlCt: $350; $450 with plotter suppiirt 
REQl'lRES: 128K RAM. two disk drives 

Sl'PPORTS: 

Videt> tnxinds-lBM ColoriGniphics. Plantronics. 

Tecmar. Paradise. Quadrani 
Primerv-Epson; Okidaia Plug ’n‘ Play; NEC 
H()23A; C. Itoh 85 10; Mannesntann Tally 160 
Plotters-Amdek; Houston Instruments DMP29, 
DMP40. DMP4 1 ; Strobe 260; Hewlett- 
Packard 7470. 7475, 8445; Calcomp 84; 

IBM XY/749; Strobe 260; Sweet-P: 
Mannesmann Tally Pixy; Roland X Y880 
DOS versitMis- 1 .0-3.0 
Other operating systems-nonc 

DOanVfENTATIO.N: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-idx, tes 

con PROTECTION: nep 

GENERAL GRAPHICS EACUJ HES: pcf. 
pcd. mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS EACILITIES: ssh. 
asd. msd 

SCREEN/PRINTERT»LOTTER 

FACamES: 

Hatching-ahi. mhi 
Color choice-acc. mcc 
Legends-acl, none 
Header lines-! 

Comment lines-none 
NtXe lines-none 
Comment position-nonc 
Type font.v-4 
T>pc font sizes-unlimited 
Chart overlays-none 
Axis sealing-aa.s. mas 
Griddisplay-agd. mgd 
Tick precision-atp 
Page adjusiment-ppa. psa 

INPUrS: 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics formats-norte 
Standard formals-DIF 

CHART TVTES: 

Column charts-25 els. 24 cgs. lOcpg. I0s.se. 
aoc. 3dc, nvc 

Bar chans-25 tws. 24 bgs.4bpg. I0s.sb. aob. 
3db. nvb 

Lirte charts- 10 Ins, 2<X)ppl. 1 tpl. 7lsm, sll. fli. 
spl, rcl. rdl 

Regression lypes-lincar. polynomial 
Piecharts-15psl. 15eps.epv 
TexVword charLv-4 fpc 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surf ace- area charts- 1 0 Ins 



PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


127 




BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Microsoft Chart 


Missing Mouse Complicates a Great Product 


C hart is the PC version of Micro- 
soft’s business graphics piDgram 
for the Apple Macintosh. It has 
some peculiarities, but it does 
many things extremely well. 

Its most peculiar characteris- 
tic is that, unlike the Macintosh 
version, it doesn't use a mouse. 
Instead it attempts to use cursor 
movement keys to accomplish 
the functions of a mouse. 

The basic user interface em- 
ploys three distinct screens to de- 
fine a “data series,” enter data, 
and display charts. The bottom 
portion of each screen has the op- 


tion menu and the message and status 
lines. Since the user has to remember the 
special key assignments in order to move 
around the screen, Microsoft should in- 
clude a function key template. 

A data series includes only two ele- 
ments or variables, designated “category” 
and “value.” “Category” refers to the 
type of data, and “value” stands for the 
numerical data. If there ate several data el- 
ements in one category, a separate data se- 
ries must be created for each repetition of 
the category. For example, product sales 
data from five regions would require five 
distinct data series. Similar series are rea- 
sonably easy to replicate with Chart’s 


Instrument Families Used 
with MIDI 

As of January, 1985 


•7% 



Source: 

American Music Association 
1984 Market Survey 
Courtesy AMA 


Prepared by CornputerBand 
Marketing Department 
March. 1985 


Keyboard ^ 

I Guitar 
I Percussion 
■ Other 


Chart provides you with a comprehensive array of possibilities for refining a chart. 


128 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE II. 1985 


copying facilities. The data series method 
makes it easy to control what data is plot- 
ted, especially when you want to plot more 
than one series on the same illustration, but 
it is not as intuitive or easy to understand as 
a simple chart or table. 

Defining a data series, like most Chari 
operations, involves filling in supplemen- 
tary menus/forms at the bottom of the 
screen. Extensive context-sensitive on- 
line help is available at all times. Entering 
data from the keyboard is straightforward. 
Chan is supplied with an interesting “Ro- 
setta Stone” data conversion program, 
which uses a wide variety of interchange 
formats such as DIF, SYLK, and dBASE 
SDF to manage the import or export of 
data between Chart and external pro- 
grams. 

Once you enter data, Chan produces 
good charts on the screen. The program of- 
fers a good assortment of predefined for- 
mats, including area, bar, column, high- 
low, line, pie and scatter charts as well as 
some combinations. The choices are dis- 
played graphically in Chan’s “gallery,” 
and when you select a certain type of chart, 
a submenu illustrates further choices. 

After you finalize your choice, Chan 
quickly calculates and displays a chart. 
The program composes fine default 
graphs, but they usually require some ma- 
nipulation. For example, the default chart 


title is the name of the first data series, 
which would rarely be appropriate. 

There is a comprehensive array of pos- 
sibilities at your disposal for refining a ba- 
sic chart. For example, boxes of various 
types can be drawn around any text. You 
can designate color and fill patterns for 
nearly every element of a chart, and even 
insert tick spacing and arrow pointers. To 
manipulate a basic chart even further, you 
can sort data, perform mathematical ana- 
lyses such as averaging, standard devi- 
ation, and trends, and you can also over- 
ride the program's automatic axis ranges. 
Next, you can create overlay charts, link 
charts that have formats or data in com- 
mon, combine charts, display multicharts 
simultaneously, and much more. 

Within the format limitations intrinsic 
to the design, Chan offers as much flexi- 
bility as anyone could want or need. 

Microsoft’s documentation is complete 
and detailed, with a reasonable tutorial. 

Overall, Chart’s trade-offs between 
flexibility and ease of use have been well 
chosen. The predefined formats can pro- 
duce good-quality charts with minimal ef- 
fort once the data entry concepts are mas- 
tered, but there is flexibility and 
complexity galore for the power user. If 
the PC version of Chan used a mouse, it 
would be great, but, even so, it approaches 
that lofty status. B 


Microsoft Chart 1.00 

Microsoft Coqx)ration 
10700 Northup Wav 
Bellevue. W A 98009 
(206) 828-8088 

CIBCLE 667 ON READER SEFMCE CARO 

LLST PRICE: $250 
REQUIRES; 1 28K. one disk drive 

SUPPORTS: 

Video boanls-IBM Color/Grajrfiics or Hercules 
Graphics 

Printers-Epson FX. MX. JX. LQ; IBM 
5" Graphics. Color. C. Iioh 85 10: Hewlett- 
Packard LaserJet. ThinkJel; NEC 8023; 
Okidata 2410. M92. M93. M84: IDS Prism; 
TI 850 855 

Plottcnv-Amdek Amplot II. 6 Shooter; 
ApplcPlot: Calcomp; Houston Instruments 
DMP29. DMP40; IBM XY/749. XY/750: 
Hewlett-Packard 7470. 7475, 7550; Strobe 
260;Sweet-P 

DOS versions-l .Othrough 3.0 
Other operating sysiem^nonc 

DOCUTVIENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-gtm. idx. tes 

COPY PROTECTION: hda 

GENERAL GRAPHICS EAdLITIES: pcf. 
pcd. mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS EACIUTIES: none 

SCREEN/PRINTERPLOTTER 

FACmriES: 

Hatching-ahl. mht 
Color choice-acc. mcc 
Legends-acl. mcl. vlp 
Header lines-unlimited 
Comment lines-unlimited 
Note lines-unlimited 
Comment position-vcp 
Type font.s-12 
Type font si7.es-255 
Chart overlays- 16 
Axis scaling-aas. mas 
Grid display-agd. mgd 
Tick precisior»-atp. mtp 
Page adjustment-ppa. hva. psa 

INPITS: 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 
Standard formats-ASCII. DIF. dBASE SDF. 
SYLK. Lotus WKS, Multiplan Binary 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-5 1 2 els. 64 cgs. 8 cpg. ssc 
unlimited, aoc. moc. nvc. npc 
Barcharts-512 brs. 64 bgs. 8 ssb unlimited, 
aob. mob. nvb. npb 

Linecharts-5l21as,64ppl. I6tpl. lOlsm.ull. 

usm. stl. ni. spi. rcl. idl 
Regression types-average. cumulative. 

difference, exponential, percent, trend. linear 
Pie chart.s-64 psl . 64 eps . ppv . apv . epv . uap 
Texl/word charts- 1 2 fpc. btx 
Gantt chails-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble chart.s-norte 
High-low charts-64 ihl 
Surface-area chaTts-5 1 2 Ins. 64 pis 


Sales. Hilliorts 



Year 


I MIDI Sales 


- Total Music 
Industry Sales 


TTw program’s “gallery” of chart types la a convenient and simple selection method. 


PC MAGAZINE# JUNE II. 1985 


129 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


PC Presents! 


Not-So-Great Graphics for 1-2-3 


L otus’s 1-2-3 creates plain low- 
resolution graphics, yet thou- 
sands of business people routine- 
ly rely on it as their central 
software package. Wouldn’t it be 
nice if you could spruce up 1-2- 
i’s simple graphics for presenta- 
tions? 

PC Presents! proposes to do 
just that. This package enhances 
the low-resolution graphics 
you’ve already constructed using 
standard 1-2-3 inputs. It also lets 
you design simple text screens. 
However, the enhancements in 
PC Presents! impose limitations 


TREMENDOUS GROWTH FORECAST FOR MIDI 

compared to overall induetry 

Industry Sales 
6000 
5000 
4000 
3000 
2000 
1000 
0 

1984 1985 1966 1987 1988 

Years 

■ MIDI ■ INDUSTRY 


This it virhat two PC Presents! graphics look like after they 
were shipped back from the service center. 




INSTRUMENT FAMILIES USED WITH MIDI 

as of January, 1985 
OTHER (7.0%) 


PERCUSS. (13.0%) 


GUITAR (20.0%) 


KEYBOARD (60.0%) 


130 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE 11. 1985 



on /-2-i’s already meager graphing capa- 
bilities. Another drawback to the program 
is that you see nothing until you've 
shipped your enhanced graphic to a PC 
Presents! service center and have the out- 
put shipped back. 

The software consists of four disks, 
designated system, text, utility, and back- 
up. Both the system disk, which contains 
the graphics enhancement programs, and 
the text disk use a simple series of 1-2-3- 
like menu .selections for every step of the 
process; you’ll never be in doubt about 
what to do next. 

The first step in using PC Presents! is to 
create a graph in 1-2-3. PC Presents!'s 
system disk will then query you with a se- 
ries of menus about the enhancements you 
want to make. One enhancement automat- 
ically changes 1-2-3's graphics from low 
to high resolution. The other two enhance- 
ments available with PC Presents! are 
choosing a color palette and picking one of 
two available fonts. However, PC Pre- 
sents! can’t use /-2-3’s wider selection of 
fonts and page orientations. 

The Limitatioiis 

PC Presents!’s enhancement options 
can’t overcome some of 1-2-3's more seri- 
ous graphics limitations. For instance, PC 
Presents! doesn’t allow you to manipulate 
individual elements of a graph; you are still 
locked into 1-2-3's rigid formats for ti- 
tling, labeling, and legends. Nor does PC 
Presents! enable you to do anything be- 
yond pie, column, and line charts; you 
can’t create high-low, Gantt, or organiza- 
tional charts, or charts with double axes. 
No matter how brilliant a color you 
choose, the design of a graph is still impor- 
tant. When you cannot manipulate the de- 
sign and must constantly resort to the same 
simplistic format, presentations become 
inherently sterile. 

PC Presents! does not allow you to pre- 
view its enhanced graphics, either by dis- 
playing them on a screen or by outputting 
them to a printer or plotter. You won’t 
know what your enhanced graphic will 
look like until it comes back from the ser- 
vice center, and by then, you’ve already 
paid for it. PC Presents!' s text component, 
however, is more straightforward. It oper- 
ates independently from 1-2-3 and lets you 
create mock-ups of bulleted lists and text 


slides. Once you’ve created a text slide, 
you can enhance it by specifying such attri- 
butes as text size, dropshadows, justifica- 
tion, highlighting, and underlining. While 
the text slides are easier to create than the 
graphics, they also force you to wear an ar- 
tistic straitjacket. You can’t do borders, 
specify symbols, or place type in a vertical 
orientation. At least the text component 
lets you preview your slides for appear- 
ance and placement. 

Ordering the Work 

When you’ve completed your specifi- 
cations for graphics or text, you incorpo- 
rate them into a work-order file using the 
rather elegant transmission component of 
the program. You specify your name, ac- 
count number, desired turnaround time, 
form of payment, and the amount and type 
of media you want. You can choose slides, 
transparencies, or photographs. This pro- 
cess is easy and well documented. 

You then send your work-order file, ei- 
ther by modem or mail, to the nearest pro- 
duction house with which the patent com- 
pany of PC Presents!, Imedia Software, 
has arrangements. Unfortunately, even if 
you send out the information via modem, 
it must return by mail or messenger. At 
best the process takes 24 hours (twice as 
long for color media) . And the rates are ex- 
pensive. 

A 35mm color slide in a plastic mount 
costs $25, and an overhead transparency 
costs $34, that is, if you opt for a 2-day 
turnaround plus shipping time. If you rush 
the job, expect the price to double. If you 
plan to create a lot of visuals from your 
1-2-3 graphs, you might want to buy stock 
in Imedia. A slide production house can do 
the same work in almost the same amount 
of time for almost the same price ($50 to 
$100), and you’ll have more options to 
choose from. 

Anyone who uses Lotus’s 1-2-3 exten- 
sively and relies on 1-2-3's graphics for 
presentations may find PC Presents! a use- 
ful tool, especially since Imedia plans to 
release a local server that will allow you to 
display high-resolution images on your 
own monitor. There are many better ways 
to create visuals, but there are few ways to 
produce visuals from 1-2-3. PC Presents! 
fills a gap, but as the dentist says, it’s only 
a temporary filling. • 


PC Presents! 

Imedia Corporation 
10441 Ban^ey Dr. 
Cupertino, CA 95014 
(408)255-5500 


CIRCLE 677 ON READER SERVICg CABO ■ 

LIST miCE: $350 

REQUIRES: I92K RAM, two disk drives 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Cc^or/Graphics 
Piinters-not applicable 
Plo(ters-noc applicable 
DOS versions-2.0, 2.1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTAHON: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-gtm, idx, tcs 

copy PROTECnON: hdk 

GENERa GRAPHICS FACnJIlESe pcf, 
mda 

SCREEN CatAPHICS FACnmES: aab 

SCREEN/FRINTERFLOTIER 

FACOJIIES: 

Hatching-ahi 
Color chmce-mcc 
Legends-acI 
Header line&~2 
Gmunent lines-none 
Note lines-^KMie 
Comment positkm-none 
Typcfbnts-2 
Type font sizes-3 
Ch^ overlays-otme 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Grid display-agd 
Tick (xecision-nq) 

Page adjustment-MNie 

INPUTS: 

Sources-Lotus’s 1-2-3 
Graprfiics formats-none 
Standard formats-Lxitus WKS 

CHART TYPES: 

Column chart»-200 els. 6cgs. 6 ssc, noc 
Barchaits-nofie 

Line chaits-6 Ins, 200 ppl, 1 tpl,5Ism, usm.spl 
Regression types-none 
Pie chaits-200 psi, epv 

Text/wofd chafts-2 6 bts, ctx, jtc, btx, utx 

Gantt charts-ncme 

Organization chaits-none 

Bubble charts-none 

Hi^-low charts-none 

Surface*area chaits-6 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


131 






BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Executive Presentation Kit 


The Best of Both Worlds 

E xecutive Presentation Kit takes 
the power of business graphics 
and adds some artistic pizzazz to 
give you the best of both worlds. 
It offers more than 30 chart types 
plus an extensive set of customiz- 
ing options. The EP Kit also fea- 
tures customized drawings and 
screen slide shows with appeal- 
ing special effects. An added bo- 
nus is that it is one of the easiest 
graphics packages to use. 

Unlike the limited charting 
options of most presentation 
graphics packages, EP Kit sup- 
ports specialized fmancial charts. 



EP tat can enhance bar and pie charts with a wide variety 
of features. 



YTljiaLo cu^ 1985 


132 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


such as breakeven, ratio, sensitivity, and 
high-low, as well as find PERT charts, his- 
tograms, and accounting graphs (balance 
sheets). In addition, the program handles 
data better than the average presentation 
graphics package. Line graphs, for exam- 
ple, can display six lines with 63 data 
points each. And you can easily transfer 
data from other programs, including 
spreadsheets and database files. However, 
if you must enter data from the keyboard, 
EP Kit provides you with a spreadsheet 
format to make your job easier. 

Mega Menus 

The program is organized with a main 
menu of seven selections displayed across 
the top of the screen: Toolbox, File, Data, 
Gallery, Format, Text, and Draw. Each 
main choice brings up a submenu of 
choices that “pop down” beneath the 
main selection. To create a graph, you fol- 
low a three-step procedure. You identify 
the data file, specify which data from the 
file is to be graphed, and then select a chart 
type for displaying the data. To select a 
chart type, you choose the Gallery option 
from the main menu. If you choose a bar 
graph from the submenu, yet another sub- 
menu pops down to let you decide on such 
formatting features as two-dimensional 
versus three-dimensional and stacked ver- 
sus overlapping bars. 

EP Kit’s chart enhancement abilities set 
it apart from many standard business 
graphics packages. Once you create a 
chart, you can enhance it in a number of 
ways. For instance, the Text option allows 
you to place horizontal or vertical titles in 
ten fonts, four colors, and at six slants. If 
you want more enhancement options, you 
pick the Draw option; it gives you all of 
those drawing tools found in most presen- 
tation graphics packages, including boxes, 
circles, frames, lines, color changes, dia- 
monds, and arrows. You can also se- 
quence your enhanced charts in a slide- 
show presentation that gives you even 
more options, like dissolves and curtains 
between slides. 

All of the charts that you create can be 
saved without the data as format files. That 
means, for example, that once you get a 
pie chart to look just the way it should , you 
can store it and use it again later by reusing 
input as needed. Eventually, you will build 


up a library of commonly used formats that 
may save you a lot of time in creating new 
graphs. 

Minimal Typing 

A major plus for EP is that it is easy 
to use. First, EP Kit requires minimal typ- 
ing if you transfer data from a spreadsheet. 
The pull-down menus make it easy for you 
to see all the possible choices at a glance. 
In addition, because it works with the KT- 
2010 touch tablet, you can make menu se- 
lections by moving a stylus or your finger 
around the 4- by 4-inch drawing surface 
that is mapped to the screen display. You 
simply point to your choice and press a 
button on the tablet. (The program also 
works with a variety of other graphics in- 
put devices.) £P Kit’s menus are so helpful 


Executive 
Presentation Kit's 
chart enhancennent 
abilities set it apart 
from many standard 
business graphics 
packages. 

that it is unlikely that you will get confused 
or stuck. If one choice doesn’t do what you 
expect, you can select another menu item 
and move on. 

The manual is as clear and easy to use 
as the program. An entire section gives ex- 
amples of the chart types and explains why 
and how you use each one. Its helpful tuto- 
rial gets you started, but it could be more 
extensive. The only major flaws in an oth- 
erwise well-designed manual are the lack 
of an index and a misprint in the informa- 
tion for setting up a printer. A call to the 
company was ne^ed to get the program to 
output to the test plotter. Otherwise, the 
manual was helpful and accurate. 

Executive Presentation Kit may be just 
the tool kit you’re looking for because it 
combines business graphics and presenta- 
tion graphics in one package. In fact, it’s 
hard to beat if you need specialized charts 
that can be dressed up for an audience on a 
moment’s notice. ® 


ExccalhcPRMntatiDii Kit 

Koala Technologies Coip. 

3100 Patridc Hony Dr. 

Santa Clani, CA 9S0S2-8 100 
(408)986-8866 

CSCLE 673 ON HEADER SEtWCECAHD 


UST mCE: $299.9S; S399.9S with Koala 
Touch Tablet 

REQUIBES; 192K RAM . two disk drives 
SUFPOBTSe 

Video boaids-IBM Color/Grqjhics 
Manitors>^y comp^ble 
Prinier»^M On^cs; l^son FX, JX, RX; 
Quadram QuadjA; Radio Shack CX3P-20; 
Cancm A-1210; NEC 8023; Hewlett-Packard 
ThinkIet;C. ItohSSlOA, 85I0SCP 
Plotters-Hewlelt-Packaid 7220C. 7220T. 7470. 
747S; Epson HI-80; Houston Instniments 
DMP series 

DOS versions-2.0, 2.1 , 3.0 
Odier operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION; 

'nitoriaHxu 

Manual-^ 

C(»Y PROTECTION: ncp 

(XNERAL ^lAFHICS FACOUTES: pcf . 
pcd, mda 

SCREEN GRAPIDCS FACnunriES; ssh. 

asd, msd 

SCREENmiNTER/PUnTER 

FACDUmES; 

Hatching-mht 
Color choice-mcc 
Legends>ac] 

Header lines- 1 
Comment lines-none 
Note lines-none 
Cbmment positkm-none 
l^pefonts-lO 
Type font sizes- 10 
overlays-none 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Griddu^y-mgd 
Tide preciskm-atp. mtp 
Page adjustment-ppa, hva, psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb, ims. ipt. iff 
Graphics formatSHione 
Standard formats-ASCII, DIF 

CHART TYPES: 

Colunai charts-9 cIs. 9cgs. 6 cgp. 6 ssc. aoc, 
3dc,nvc 
Barcharts-none 

Line charts-6 Ins, 63 p|ri, 5 tpl. 6 bm, ud, usm. 
fli.spi 

Regression types-none 
Piecharts-12psl, I2eps.3(^.epv, uap 
TextAvord charts-IO 6 bb 
Gantt diaits-lOitg. lOrog. utg,6smg 
Organization dtaits-(user drawn), 6 sto, vso 
Bitoble charts-none 
Hi^low ch8rts-63 ihl, 3 shl, 3 uhl 
Surface-area charts-6 Ins, 63 pis 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 


133 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


BPS Business Graphics 


Flexible Graphic Language 


B PS Business Graphics is a pro- 
gram that requires a laige invest- 
ment of time for its output. Like 
GrafTalk and a number of other 
graphics programs, it is based on 
a free-form language concept 
that you must leam. In BPS, as in 
IX)S, you modify verbs or com- 
mands with a series of adverbs, 
switches, and parameters. You 
can abbreviate most words in the 
command sentence with any 
short sequence of characters that 
uniquely specifies the words. 
Therefore, you can type SE V L 
F instead of SET VERTICAL 


INSTRUMENT FAMILIES USED WITH MIDI 


other 



Courtesy AMA March, iOBS 


Tremendous Growth Forecast for MIDI Industry 



In order to dress up the charts using BPS, 
everything has to be specified manually. 


134 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE 11, 1985 


LABEL FREQUENCY. 

BPS has some nice features that set it 
apart from other packages. It offers exten- 
sive business, analysis, and math func- 
tions as well as other advanced features 
that permit manipulations not normally 
included in a graphics package. Such com- 
mands as DISTRIBUTE (to create new 
data sets), FIT (to fit constant, exponen- 
tial, line, logarithm, or parabola curves), 
and SMOOTH (for curve smoothing) 
produce useful graphs not available with 
some other packages. 

BPS is not copy-protcted, and so you 
can easily copy it onto two floppy disks or 
any hard disk. It requites a standard IBM- 
type color adapter. 

BPS accomrtKxlates an unusually large 
number of output peripherals, including 
plotters, dot matrix printers, and daisy- 
wheel printers. The installation of your 
hard-copy output device is mainly done 
from within BPS itself. The BPS manual 
devotes nearly 100 pages to the idiosyn- 
crasies of hard-copy devices, including 
cabling and switch requirements. Many 
graphics programs do not use many of the 
special built-in abilities of plotters and 
printers, but BPS actually depends on 
them. For example, the program only sup- 
ports outlined or solid-filled bats. Hatched 
bars ate only available if the plotter or 
printer has this ability in its repertoire. 

You enter data via an on-screen editing 
mechanism that has its own set of com- 
mands to manipulate data. You key infor- 
mation as data pairs; BPS makes no direct 
provision for entering tables of numbers, 
but an unusually flexible interchange sys- 
tem allows you to import tables directly 
from Microsoft Multiplan SYLK files or 
from any program that produces standard 
ASCII print files. 

Once data is available, you can easily 
draw primitive graphs with only a com- 
mand or two. You use the basic command 
DRAW to produce an image and use such 
modifiers as AREA, AXES, HORIZON- 
TAL BAR, VERTICAL BAR, CURVE, 
MARKS, POINTS, and PIE to detemune 
the type of the graph. 

BPS has an editor to create and edit 
command "Take” files containing se- 
quences of BPS commands. The editor is 
adequate, but you probably won’t want to 
use it as your main editor. 


It’s fairly easy to get a simple graph on 
the screen with BPS, but hard to dress up 
the charts because you have to specify 
almost everything manually . For example, 
the program offers no commands to auto- 
matically add percentages to pies, add 
notes or comments, or display numeric 
data values adjacent to bars. You have to 
position bloclu of text on the chan. 

Manual Labor Problems 

Many problems crop up when you have 
to position text manually. In BPS'S screen 
representation, plotted output isn’t 
matched very well, but, then, other graph- 
ics programs have similar on-screen 
restrictions. Mote seriously, it takes a lot 
of time and hard work to produce a basic 
pie chan on the screen and position the 
percentages and comment blocks. BPS 
ameliorates this problem slightly by dis- 
play ing the x and y coordinates at the exact 
location that you selected with the arrow 
keys, so that you can enter the exact coor- 
dinates into a Take file for future use. 

Incredibly, however, you can’t use 
these coordinates for hard-copy output. 
BPS doesn’t recognize the plotter keys. To 
determine the correct coordinates, you 
have to experiment with numerous plots — 
a slow, time-consuming process. 

After you correctly position the text, 
BPS does not fill in solid-color areas well, 
nor does it let you adjust the increments 
used by the plotter to fill in an area. The 
program has no built-in fonts; it depends 
on the fonts provided by the plotter. 

The BPS documentation, unlike the 
program, deserves special praise. It is very 
clearly written and, for the most part, is 
easy to understand. A good tutorial and 
on-disk demonstration gets you started 
quickly, and examples illustrate how to 
put the program through its paces. 

Overall, BPS seems to be much ado 
about not so much. Rather than having 
predefined formats for you to plug data 
into, BPS requires you to learn an exten- 
sive set of conunands and parameters to 
produce even simple charts. The program 
can produce reasonable charts, but so can 
many other programs that make fewer 
demands. BPS is certainly not a bad prod- 
uct, but the time it takes to leam the system 
is not amply repaid by the quality or scope 
of what the program produces. ■ 


BPS Business Graphics 2.61 

Business & Professional Software Inc. 

143 Binney Street 
Cambridge. MA 02142 
{617)491-3377 

CIRCU 698 ON REAOen SERVICE CABO 

LIST PRICE: J350 

REQLTHES: 1 28K RAM. two disk drives 
■SITPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Graphics 
Prinlers-IBM Graphics. Apple Dot Matrix. 
Lener(3iiality;C. Itoh 1550. 85IOA; 
Centronics 122. 352, 353; Diablo 630, 1600 
series; Epson MX. FX; IDS Prism; 
Mannesmann Tally; NEC Spinwriter; Okidata 
Microline; Qume Sprint 
Plotters- Amdek DXYIOO. Amplot-ll; 

Apple Color. Calcomp M84; Hewlett-Packaid 
7220, 722 1 . 7225, 7470. 7475; Houston 
Instruments DMP3, DMP4, DMP6, DMP7. 
DMP29. DMP40; IBM XY/749, XY/750; 
Panasonic VP-6801P; Mannesmann Talley 
Pixy I , Pixy2; Strobe 100; Ssvect-P; Watanabe 
WX 4633, 4634, 4635, 46.36. 4637. 4638, 
4671.4675 

DOS versions- 1 .0 through 3.0 
Other operating systems-UCSD 

DOaTMEIVTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-gtm. idx. tes, 

COPY PROTECTION: hda 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: mda 
SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: ssh. 
msd 

SCREEN/PRINTERPLOTTER 

FACILmF.S: 

Hatching-mht. nht 
Color choice-aec, iiKC 
Legends-mcl.vlp 
Header lines-l 
Comment lines-none 
Note lines-none 
Comment position-vcp 
Type fonts-fonts 

Type font sizes-hardware-dependent 

Chari overlays-nonc 

Axis scaling-aas, mas 

Grid display-mgd 

Tick prccision-mtp 

Page adjustment-psa 

BVPITS: 

Srxirces-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 
Statidard formats-SYLK, ASCII 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-4.0% cIs; cgs, cpg. ssc 
unlimited; rax;; npc 
Bar charls-4,0%; bgs, bpg, ssb 
unlimited; nob; npb 

Line chatrs-lns unlimited, 4.096 total ppl, 

5 tpl. Ism depends on hardware, utl. usm. 
spl, rcl, rdl 

Regression types-constant, exponential. 

linear, lug, parabolic, sine 
Pie chans— 4,0^ psi 

Text/word charts-fpc depends on hardware 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble chans-none 
High.low charts-none 
Surface-area charls-lns unlimited, 4.096 
total pis 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II, 1985 


135 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


GrafTalk 

A Venerable Package That Stands Up Well 


G rafTalk is a truly venerable 
graphics package: it’s been 
around in virtually the same form 
since the days of the 8-bit micros 
running at 2 MHz. GrafT alk was 
great when it was all that was 
available, but how does it stand 
up in today’s business graphics 
field — a field crowded with 
heavyweight newcomer compe- 
tition? 

The answer is, “Quite well, 
thank you.” Gro^att: continues 
to offer impressive flexibility and 
performance, although it is still 
not particularly well suited for 
beginners or users unwilling to 
make some commitment to 
learning its command language. 

Grqftalk is both flexible and 
restrictive in its data-handling ca- 
pabilities. Data can be typed at 
the keyboard or retrieved from a 
simple tabular ASCII disk file, 
but GrcfT alk can’t import or ex- 


port data from DIF, or other common mi- 
crocomputer data-interchange formats. 
Once you import your data, however, you 
can use GrafT alk's excellent spreadsheet- 
like scheme for manipulating charts; you 
name rows and columns, perform simple 
arithmetic, and create and delete new rows 
and columns. 

Once data is available, GrafTalk'^ 
powerful commands can be used directly 
from the keyboard or from its built-in full- 
screen editor, called SCATE. You gain 
real advantages by ranrting GrcfTalk from 
SCATE. You can save the command se- 
quences you produce with it to disk so that 
you can tun GrcfTalk from these files lat- 
er. SCATE maintains as many workspace 
areas as needed, each containing separate 
programs for separate charts. 

SCATE makes good use of control 
characters and two-letter sequences to trig- 
ger its functions, which include find, re- 
place, file manipulations, and even file 
comparisons. SCATE has a few peculiari- 
ties, such as a separate mode just for add- 


ing blank lines, and it requires you to leam 
a new set of commands. But it does make a 
big difference in how GrafT alk works. 

GrcfTalk doesn’t contain any prede- 
fined graph formats like those of many oth- 
er programs. But its commands produce 
charts fairly easily. 

GrafTalk can produce all the standard 
charts: pie, bar, column, line, and scatter. 
The newest version (3.27) includes com- 
mands for creating bubble and surface- 
area charts and charts with dual y axes. A 
“slide show” feature also appears in the 
newest version. With this new feature, 
GrcfTalk saves charts to disk in image 
form that can be displayed rapidly; you 
control the display manually or put in spec- 
ified pauses between slides for an automat- 
ic slide show. Commands ate included to 
build custom menus for special applica- 
tions. These corrunands form a primitive 
PILOT-like language for adding intelli- 
gence to a simple menu system. 

Giving You a Free Hand 

Grq/T alk includes a freehand sketching 
mechadsm, but it’s rather clumsy to use in 
its present form. The manufacturer claims 
that more-advanced chart types, such as 
Gantt, organization, and high-low, can be 
created from these available tools. The 
program can produce some complicated 
charts, but it requires fancy fingerwork. 

Once you specify a standard chart, pro- 
viding the information GrafTalk needs to 
produce it is usually straightforward. Vari- 
ous commands control such aspects of 
chart production as color, axis scaling, and 
grid ^splay. GrafTalk uses sensible de- 
fault values for some of these characteris- 
tics, but, in other cases, you must be spe- 
cific or nothing will appear. 

For instance, you must specify the 
names of the axes and the values for the x- 
axis tick points and pie segments since 
Grtfr alk can’t read labels or legends from 
a data file. Nor can Gr<tfT alk produce any 
fancy text manipulations. 



136 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


While GrqP' alk lacks many of the ca- 
pabilities built into newer graphics pro- 
grams, you can work around these limita- 
tions using the program’s joystick 
command. For example, there is no provi- 
sion for adding notes or comments to a 
chart per se, but blocks of text can be posi- 
tioned manually using JOYSTICK. This 
command allows you to position the cursor 
on the screen to indicate where the next 
text, legend, or similar insertion will take 
place. GrofTaUc has a related command 
that translates the cursor’s “joysticked” 
position into x and y coordinates. The joy- 
stick command is also available during 
plotting by using the pen-positioning keys 
found on most plotters. However, JOY- 
STICK is not ^ways a replacement for 
automatic program-generated positioning 
of chart elements. 

Grcrfralk can route its graphic output to 
the display screen, suitable printers or plot- 
ters, or to disk images. Unfortunately, the 
screen representation doesn’t look very 
much like plotted hard copy. A few slow 
replottings are usually required to get ev- 
erything just so. But what GrqfTalk does 
do, it does well. Its plotting speed is good, 
and the shading, precision, and other sty- 
listic treatments of the charts are well 
done. 

Grcflalk\ manual includes a tutorial 
that is essentially unchanged from the one 


released years ago: It still doesn’t go far 
enough in demonstrating the advanced fea- 
tures of the program. The program also of- 
fers a menu system for novices. 

GrtrfT alk's documentation is weak and 
disorganized and doesn’t provide any ex- 
amples of how to create charts other than 
the rudimentary ones in the beginner’s tu- 
torial. While the manual does have an in- 
dex, the book’s basic organization is poor. 
However, a rather primitive on-line help 
system is included with the program. 

A more serious problem with Grq/T alk 
is that the manual does not always reflect 
the version of the software. For example, 
GrqfT alk requires a special pin connection 
in the cable to the Hewlett-Packard 7475 
plotter, but my manual didn’t even discuss 
this problem. 

For all of this, GrqfTalk is fun to use if 
you’re inclined toward programming. 
Command response is very quick, and the 
finished output is of good qu^ity . Redding 
markets GrqfTalk as “an interactive lan- 
guage for business graphics.” And Graf- 
Talk is interactive in the sense that a BA- 
SIC interpreter is more interactive than a 
compiler. But it is less interactive than pro- 
grams that allow on-screen manipulation 
of chart elements. A lot of people like 
GrctfTalk very much, and its following 
would be even wider if some of the rou^ 
edges were smoothed out. H 


GnlTalk3,27 

Redding Group, Inc. 

109 Danbury Road 
Ridgefield, CT 06877 
(800)435-7744 
(203)431-4661 

CIRCLE ear on bexper service card 

UST PUCE: $430 

REQUniES: I28K RAM, one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Virleo boaids-lBM Cokn/Gniphics, Teranar. 
Plantronics 

Priiiteia-Diablo 1630, 1640, 630; Tektronix 
4693; Anadex 9300; Daraprrxlucts P80, P132, 
SFG-8030; 460 Paper Tiger, DEC LA30, 
LAIOO; ^Noo MX, FX; Fujitsu DMF9, 
DMP24; ffiM Gnqibks; Okidata Microline; 
MPlPliiitMate99G. 130 
Plotten-Houston Instniments DMP29; 

Calcomp 8 1 , 84; Panasonic VP686 1 ; Hewlett 
Packard 7470A, 7330; Goenz 281, 184; 
Amdek D; IBM XY/749, XY/730; 
Mannesmann Tally Pixy 3 
DOS vetskxis-l .0-3,0 
Other opetuting systems-CP/M 

DOCUMEISTAHON: 

Tutorial-pni 
Manual-idx, tcs 

COPVPKOTECnON: ncp 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACnJTIESc nooe 

SCREEN OIAPHICS FACniTIES; ssh, 
asd, insd 

SCRE EN/P RINTEII/PLOTIER 

FACnJTIES: 

Hatching-aht, mht 
Color choice-acc, mcc 
Legenrls-fticl, vlp 
Header liiies-80 chars max 
Comment lines-unlimited 
Note lines-unlimited 
Ouninent poshicD-vcp 
Typefonts-1 

Type font sizes-unlimited 
Chint rwerlays-unliinited 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Giiddisplay-mgd 
Tick precision-atp, mqi 
Page adjustment-ppa, hva, psa 

INPUTSt 

Soutces-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 
Standard fotmats-ASCn 

CHART TVPESi 

Column chaits-4096 els, cgs unlimited, cpg 
unlimited, ssc unlimited, tax; 

Bar chails-4096 bis, bgs unlimited, bpg 
unlimited, ssb unlimited, nob 
Line chaita-lns unlimited, ppl unlimited. 8 tpl. 

128, ud, usm, spl 
Regression types-none 
Pie chatts-psl unlimited, eps unlimited, ppv 
Text/word chaits-1 fpc 
Gantt chaits-itg unlimited, tog unlimited, 
utg. Ismg 

Oiganizadon chaits-smo unlimited, clo 
unlimited, do unlimited 
Bubble chaits-bbs unlimited, cpb unlimited, 
Ub.lob.Ub 

Higb-low chaits-ihl unlimited, shl unlimited 
Suiface-aiea chaits-lns unlimited, pis 
unlimited 


Tremendous Growth Forecast for MIDI Industry 
1000 
900 
eoo 
TOO 

8g «» 

an 

p «o 

300 

aoo 
100 
0 

«qM 4CBK ««« iqg? ♦qpp 

Year 

MDI w - - miBtry 

The program can produce some complicated charts, but K requires fancy footwork. 



PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


137 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Boardroom Graphics 


A Fast But Rigid Track to the Plotter 

B oardroom Graphics produces at- 
tractive plotted graphs, but its 
on-screen and printer displays 
are not great. To use the prtr- 
gram, you must follow a rigid 
format, but this rigidity is pre- 
cisely what gives Boardroom 
Graphics its lightning-fast 
speed. It has some frustrating 
problems, such as its confusing 
manual and program structure, 
occasional data losses, and its 
built-in copy-protection scheme. 
But, once you’ve come to terms 
with these quirks, you’ll proba- 
bly like Boardroom Graphics, 


Treawndous GroHth Forecast 
for MIDI Industry 



Boardroom Qraphica taatures a full spectrum of 
praform a tted business graphs and charts. 


Instrument Families 
Used with MIDI 



138 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11 , 1985 


especially if you’ll be relying only on plot- 
ted output. 

Boardroom Graphics creates a full 
spectrum of graphs and charts, including 
regressions, trend lines, text, and 3-D col- 
or graphics, and you can output any of 
these charts to the screen, a plotter or print- 
er, or transparencies. It features many 
niceties, such as preformatted periods of 
daily, monthly, and annual variables and 
data that can be input as a constant or a 
fixed rate. Boardroom Graphics accepts 
data from many sources, including DIF, 
SYLK, and BASIC. 

Manual Slide Shows 

A series of menu-driven prompts allows 
you to easily enter data and select graph at- 
tributes. As you create individual charts. 
Boardroom Graphics organizes them into 
units of ten, called cases. You create, re- 
trieve, and display all graphs by summon- 
ing a case name. The bright side to this 
nontraditional organization is that it allows 
you to group charts as a slide show presen- 
tation. But, the case organization doesn’t 
allow you to select just one or two individ- 
iral charts for a presentation — ^you must have 
ten slides, not mote or less. If you don’t 
enter any data for a chart within a case, 
then the program displays an empty grid. 
There’s nothing automatic about Board- 
room Graphics's highly touted slide show. 
You have to repeatedly hit a keyboard key 
to keep the presentation moving along. 

To save a graph, you have to specify a 
filename. The program also maintains its 
own unique name for your files; it uses a 
suitably ambiguous one, such as 
DATA123. To recall a file you can use 
your filename, but to duplicate or delete a 
file you have to use the program’s natire 
for it. Inevitably, because of this duplicate 
naming process, you wind up with an un- 
intelligible and very full DOS directory. 

The program is written in compiled 
BASIC and it invokes different modules 
through the chain option. Modules do not 
share data, and the program doesn’t alert 
you when it calls a new module. It is easy 
to lose your data unless you are especially 
careful about saving at eveiy opportunity. 
Other comparable programs will maintain 
your data inputs as necessary. 

It’s unfortunate that the program’s on- 
screen graphic display is very poor, espe- 


cially since one of its featured attractions is 
its slide show capability. Because the 
screen display is poor, the screen dump to 
the printer is equally disappointing. After 
all this mediocre output, however, the 
plotter graphs shine. They are so impres- 
sive, in fact, that it is difficult to believe 
that the same program that produces such 
uninspiring screen output can plot so well. 

Sloppy Inconsistencies 
The Boardroom Graphics tutorial is 
clear and well arranged, and its documen- 
tation is very succinct. Although relatively 
harmless, I found sloppy inconsistencies 
between tbe documentation and the pro- 
gram itself. For instance, the manual uses 
the word palette where the program uses 
the word color, and a chart in the manual 
is called a graph in the program. It’s as if 
the two were written in mutually exclusive 
environments. Also, the documentation 
has no index or glossary. The table of con- 
tents is built around lessons and not con- 


It is difficult to 
believe that the 
same program that 
produces such 
uninspiring screen 
output can plot so 
well. 

lent, so it’s almost impossible to find infor- 
mation without perusing the manual. 

The program is a copy-protected night- 
mare. You can’t make backup copies, but 
you can obtain a copy for $5 from the man- 
ufacturer. Twice, for no apparent reason. 
Boardroom Graphics displayed a message 
proclaiming a “violation of agreements 
with Analytical Software,” after which 
the program returned to the operating sys- 
tem. The program was obviously attempt- 
ing to check if the disk was an original or a 
copy, even though it was the real McCoy. 

Will you be bored with Boardroom 
Graphics? It all depends. If you like your 
graphs quick and easy and you rely on 
plotted output, you might be happy with 
this program, despite its faults. H 


BoardrooH Gnphks 3^ 

Analytical Software, Inc. 

10939 McCreeRd. 

Dallas, TX 75238 
(214)340-2564 

CIRCLE 681 ON READER SERVfCE CARD 


UST FKICE: $ 1 SO, i^us $50 for optional 
printer si^)port 

REQVIBES: 128K RAM, one disk drive 
SUFrORFSi 

Video boaida^M G>loiyGi^)hics 
Prinlers-IBM or ^)6oa (opdonal) 
Ploaer»-HewIett-Packaid 7470A, 747SA 
DOS veisions-2.0. 2. 1 
Other operating systems-iKme 

DOCUMENTAHON: 

'fiiUirial-iJtu 

Manual-tcs 

COPY PROTECnON: ncp 
GENEHAL GnAFHKS FACDJrnESt pcd 

SCREEN (aUFmCS FACnJIlES: ssh, 
msd 

SCRE EN/P BINTER/PLOTTER 

FAdUrriES: 

Hatcfaing-^nht 
Cokx' chcnce-mcc 
Legends-acl, none 
Header Inies-2 
Ccanment Unes-0 
Notelinefr-O 
Comment position-none 
Typefonts>l 
l^fontsizea-1 
Qi^ overlays- 1 
Axis scaling-aas 
Grid display^ngd 
Tick pieciskm-ntp 
Page adjustment-nme 

Dspvrsc 

Sources-ikb 
Gia{4ucs formats-^uxie 
Standard formats- ASCII, DIF 

CHART TYPES: 

Cohiinncharts-I2cIs,3cgs, 12cpg,aoc,3dc 
Bar chartfr-none 

Line chaits-S Ins, 60 p|d, S Ins, rdl 
Regression types-4inear 
Pie chaits-5 psi, ppf 
Text/woiddiarts-1 ^,jtx 
Gantt chaits-none 
Oiganizatioo charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
Hi^low chaits-oone 
Surface-area diails-5 Ins. 60 pis 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 


139 


Discover what 50,000 






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HIGH RESOLUTION 
MONOCHROME 
MONITORS 
HR 39 $149 
HR 134 $159 

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Card * 720 x 350 Resolution • 
12" Diagonal Screen • Super 
Crisp Text Capability • High 
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Tilt/Swivel Base and Inter- 
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HR 39 (Green) 


INTERNAL MODEM 

PC212A/ 1200 $249 

Auto-dial. Auto-Answer • 300/ 
1200 Baud Operation • Runs 
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Desk Phone • Includes PC- 


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STANDBY POWER 
SUPPLY 
SR200 $329 
XT300 $429 
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MULTIFUNCTION CARD 
BT6P1US (OK) $195 
BT6PIUS (384K) $299 


TALK III Software (Complete 
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Modular Phone Cord, User's 
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tions • Optional Serial Port 
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(Electronic Disk 
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HIGH RESOLUTION 
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HB31200S439 


14* Diagonal Screen • 
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Adapter Cord • 640 x 200 
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Base 


Optional Gome Port — Chips, 
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INTEBNAL HABD DISK 
SUBSYSTEMS 
PCIO $649 
PC20 $699 


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CUtCLE 354 ON READER SERVICE CARD 








BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


PC-Draw 


Quick on the Draw 

A s its name implies, PC-Draw is a 
drawing program. Although it 
supplies templates and other 
tools for creating business graph- 
ics, it is not a charting program. 
It will not let you enter a few 
numbers and sit back while it 
generates a chart for you. You 
can use the program to draw 
standard business charts, but this 
is not what PC-Draw does best. 
Much more appropriate uses in- 
clude drafting electronic sche- 
matics, flowcharts, organiza- 
tional charts, and even architec- 
tural floor plans. 



March, 1985 



PC-Draw comes with several on-disk predeflned 
templates for charts and text fonts. 


142 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE 11, 1985 




The program comes with several pre- 
defined templates on disk. These fall into 
two categories: graphics templates, each 
of which is appropriate to a given applica- 
tion, and predefined text fonts. Each tem- 
plate can hold a maximum of 105 sym- 
bols. 

The predefined templates include sym- 
bols for flow charts, data flow diagram- 
ming, electrical design, floor plans, mis- 
cellaneous symbols, and four text fonts. 
You can also create as many additional 
templates as you need containing either 
symbols or text fonts. The number of tem- 
plates available to you is limited only by 
how many files can fit on your disk. While 
working on a drawing, you can load tem- 
plates from disk, changing them as often 
as necessary. 

Using the symbol-based templates is 
reasonably simple. First, you load the 
appropriate template into memory. Each 
template contains a maximum of 1 05 sym- 
bols, 2 1 of which can be displayed on the 
screen at any one time. You then page 
through the template until you see the sym- 
bol you want and choose it by number — 1 
through 105. The symbol shows up at the 
cursor location, after which you can move 
it around the screen, enlarging or shrink- 
ing it as necessary. A nice touch is that you 
can move the symbol over other text or 
symbols that are already on-screen. This 
will momentarily disturb the background 
symbols, but you can restore them with a 
single keystroke. 

Using the text templates is also straight- 
forward — simply load the appropriate text 
template into memory, and you can toggle 
it on or off at will. In addition to the tem- 
plate-based text fonts, two other text fonts 
are available at all times — the ROM-based 
IBM text font and an internal text font in 
the program. 

PC -Draw supports a variety of printers 
and plotters. However, there can often be a 
discrepancy between what you see on the 
screen and what is actually plotted. Plot- 
ting a Gantt chart for PC Magazine’s, tests 
proved to be difficult. The fill command, 
used to create solid bats for the chart on the 
screen, was not conveyed to the plotter, 
and consequently the bars were not filled 
in. Apparently this happened because PC- 
Draw retained unwanted lines that were 
hidden by the fill command and didn't 


show up on the screen. 

Another problem arose when lines that 
appeared properly connected on the screen 
did not turn out to be properly connected in 
the printed output — for example, connect- 
ing lines in an organizational chart. In the 
tests these lines unexpectedly crossed each 
other or left gaps. The problem was that 
the plotter’s resolution was higher than the 
screen’s, so lines often looked fine on the 
screen but not on the plotter. When the 
lines didn’t match, the only recourse was 
to go back to the drawing and move them 
by dead reckoning. 

PC-Draw is command-driven; most 
commands are triggered by pressing Alt in 
combination with some other key. Unfor- 
tunately, the command-key letters do not 
naturally suggest their functions. For 
example, to delete an object or move it 
somewhere else, you first define the object 
or section by marking its upper left- and 
lower right-hand comers. The command 
for marking is Alt-ampersand (&), hardly 


PC-Draw is 
command-driven. 
Unfortunately, the 
command-key 
letters do not 
naturally suggest 
their functions. 

an obvious mnemonic. Even worse, the 
name of this command is “block symbol 
select” — which makes it hard to find in 
the index if you assume it might be called 
“cut and paste” or “move symbol.” Of 
course, given enough time, you will even- 
tually learn these commands but don't 
expect to do so immediately. 

On the whole, PC-Draw is a useful pro- 
gram for rendering sophisticated charts or 
specialized drawings. Moreover, the tem- 
plate library offers a wide selection of 
images that can be used for a variety of 
applications; these alone can make the 
package worth its price. But for standard 
business graphics or infrequent or casual 
use, it has too many details that are hard to 
remember. ■ 


FC-DraifU 

Micrografx, Inc. 

1701 N. Greenville, Suite 305 
Richardson, TX 75081 
(214)234-1769 

CfRCLEaee ON READER S£RV>Ce CARD 

UST PRICE: $395 

REQIWES: 128 K RAM. ( 25 ^ 
lecomnended), one disk drive 

scproirrs! 

Video boerds-IBM CMor/Gnphics or 
cofiqntit^. Paradise Modular Grqihics 
Printeis-Epson MX, FX; IBM Gr^)hics, Color, 
Gemini 10. 15; Okidata M84. M92, M93; 
NEC 8023; Mannesnuom Talley; C. boh; IDS 
Prism 

Plooen-Hewfett-Packaid 7470A. 7475A. 
755QA; Houston Instniments DMP40, 
DMP29 

DOS versioa»-2.0. 2.1, 3.0 
Other operating systems-none 

DOClJMENTA'nCXM: 

'lUtorial-stu. ptu 
Manual-gtm. idx, tcs 

conr PROlECnON: bdk 

CaJVEBALCKAfmCSFAC lLITT EStroda 
SCREEN G8APHKS FAClIXnESt none 

scRE EN/P MNTER/nxyrraai 

FAcnuriESc 

Hatching-nooe 

Color dioico-acc, moc 

Legends-mcl, 

Header linesHin^pecified 
Commett lines-un^iecified 
Note iines-un^Kcified 
Comment poution-vq> 

Typefonts^ 

Type font sizes-no limit 
Chari overlays-oone 
Axis scalingHias 
Grid diqrfi^-ngd 
Tick pcecisioD-^ 

Page adjustmem-hva, psa 

INPUTS: 

Soufces-ikb 
Giifihics formats-nooe 
Standard forroata-oooe 

FROGSAM CHARACIERKIICSe 

Design method-fsd, std 

User inteifKO-10 mop, 44 top, tmu 

Type foots & si 2 es -6 fiiC, fns unspecified, 6 fior 

Pao^ handling-nooe 

Drawing tools-cop, idr 

Predefined charis & imagea-none 

Other business cfaait focmals-nooe 

Image libr ari es-84 pis, sup 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


143 



How do you get 
your PC to wear 
many different hats 
at the same time? 


E-Z-DOSdX 


Introducing E-Z-DOS-IT' 

Concurrent Processing — 
for IBM PCs and 
PC compatibles. 

Before today, your IBM PC 
(or PC compatible) could wear 
only one processing hat at a 
time. Now, with E-Z-DOS-IT 
Concurrent Processing, your 
PC can be an editor, financial analyst, and 
artist all at the same time. And you can be a 
writer. Or a programmer. In fact, E-Z-EXDS'IT 
is the only concurrent processing system 
that can run effectively on machines with 
256K and up. 

Switch from one program 
to another at the drop of a hat. 

With your current system, each time you need 
to access information on a different aisk,you 
have to save your files, unload and load a pro- 
gram. E-Z-DOS-IT enables you to switch con- 



veniently from one applica- 
tion to another instantly. With 
this easy referencing capa- 
bility, you can quickly respond 
to questions, and finish proj- 
ects significantly faster. 

E-Z to use, 

E-Z to afford. 

You’ll find it takes only ten 
minutes to master E-Z-DOS-IT Concurrent 
Processing. And the suggested retail price is 
only $199.95— improved productivity was 
never this affordable. 

Improved personal productivity at 
your fingertips. 

E-Z-DOS-IT is the one system software 
package you can’t afford to be without. For 
more information and the name of the dealer 
nearest you, call toll-free: 800/228-9602 
(in California, call 800/423-5592), ask for 
Operator 1. 


MHAMVIFR 


Redefining Your PC Productivity. 


E-Z-DOS-IT is a trademark of Hammer Computer Systems, Inc., 900 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 250, Larkspur, CA 94939 

The f<4owm| rrpMCTtd iradctnuki iK Kknowied^ IBM wd (BM PC. ImmisacnBi Bunneu M» dw«. Lona I-2-) md STnedum Lona Oevdopmcni Corpentnn. dSow II and FnmrwiMk. Aihtcn.Tatr Vbcdwac, MmoPro IntentancmaL PFS.Filc. 
Svinwr Pubtalune. Croaaalk, MKroanrff. Inc . Miu-Pka Micreacti Cotpofioon 


CIRCLE 142 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


CHART-MASTER 

An Old Reliable Shows Flexibility and Competence 


C HART-MASTER is an old-reli- 
able package that has been 
around a while and has collected 
a loyal following. It produces bar 
and column charts, with clus- 
tered and stacked variations, as 
well as line, scatter, area, pie, 
and high-low charts, but not 
text/word charts. (SIGN-MAS- 
TER, a related program, fills this 
function.) 

CHART-MASTER’S installa- 
tion is straightforward. The 
copy-protection scheme prevents 
you from making any floppy 
copies, and you must have the 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 

As of January, 1985 

Keyboard 


Other 


Percussion 


Prtporvd by ComputvOand Ine. 





CHART-MASTER allows for some nice enhancements to 
Its basic business charts. 


'iai 


146 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE 1 1 . 1985 





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CIRCLE 113 ON READER SERVICE CARD 







Telecommunications you can take to the bank. 

Or the stock market. Or the CPA. Or the office. 


Miracle offers quick-and-powerful, state-of-the- 
art telecommunications capabilities. It’s a virtually 
limitless, continuously-updated, on-lir\e database every 
time you interface with any information service or 
your home office. 

That’s current information when you need it. With 
a single keystroke. Automatically; based on Miracle’s 
revolutionary telef^cme support which you simply pre-set 
once. Allowing you to download financial, stock or other 
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Miracle is colorful access to immediate information. 
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CIRCLE 171 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


master disk in drive A: to start the program 
from a hard disk. A menu-driven utility so- 
licits all the required information about 
your system’s configuration and peripher- 
als. CHART-MASTER supports the Hercu- 
les monochrome graphics card, the Polar- 
oid Palette, and an impressive list of 
plotters and printers. 

While it is not necessary to view a chart 
before printing or plotting it. CHART- 
MASTER allows you to preview the chart 
layout on-screen; this feature makes the 
program seem more interactive. 

The menu structure is clear and easy to 
understand, but somewhat primitive. 
CHART-MASTER does not use the more 
helpful technique of highlighting the cur- 
rently selected menu option and guessing 
the option that you are likely to want next. 

Entering Data 

Data entry can come from only the key- 
board or DIF files; the program offers no 
provisions for reading normal ASCII files 
or those following any other interchange 
standards. It’s rather awkward to import 
DIF files from l-2-J\ you have to write to a 
DIF file, reload, resave to DIF format 
within 1-2-3, and then finally load into 
CHART-MASTER. Instead of going 
through this complex process. Decision 
Resources suggests you rekey the data un- 
less you have a large amount of informa- 
tion to import. 

Because the program’s prompts are 
straightforward, you can quickly enter 
data and specify chart information. You 
can check input and document charts with 
CHART-MASTER' s Chart Verification, 
which is a useful feature that lists the input 
data and chart specifications on the screen 
or printer. 

CHART-MASTER allows for some nice 
enhancements to the basic charts. You can 
put several pie charts on a single page and 
scale their sizes to show their proportional 
relationships. It’s also possible to prepare 
dual-axis charts and place data values near 
points on a line or adjacent to bats or col- 
umns. CHART-MASTER can also perform 
five types of regressions on your data. 

Limitations 

CHART-MASTER has some definite 
limitations, however. You cannot override 
the program’s decisions on the placement 


of elements on the chart (which explains 
the somewhat odd appearance of the test 
pie chart). It would also be helpful if 
CHART-MASTER allowed for the inser- 
tion of comments or notes beyond a one- 
line footnote. 

The program permits unusually com- 
plete control over the plotting process. Us- 
ing the PC’s cursor keys, you can specify 
the exact size of the plot — a useful func- 
tion for preparing masters for overhead 
transparencies and slides or for special ap- 
plications. You can also position several 
small plots on a page, determining each 
one’s orientation. CHART-MASTER lets 
you change the pen speed — if your plotter 
allows — to compensate for media charac- 
teristics. 

One limitation in plotting is CHART- 
MASTER's provision for floating legends, 
which is close to unusable if your plotter 
and PC aren’t immediately adjacent; it’s 
nearly impossible to monitor the pen posi- 
tions and hit the cursor keys at the same 
time unless you have stretchable arms like 
Gumby’s. Moreover, using the PC’s cur- 
sor keys, you can position the plotter pen 
to insert legends in an available area, but 
it’s not easy to envision the placement of 
the legend on the finished chart. 

Snail-like Plotting 

It’s a good thing CHART-MASTER 
produces high-quality plots because its 
plotting speed is incredibly slow. Some of 
the sample plots took 1 5 or 20 minutes to 
complete, even with the fast HP-7475 plot- 
ter. The program does a very thorough job 
of filling in solid areas, making many 
passes with a fine increment between each 
pass, but this task doesn’t seem to be the 
reason for the snail-like plotting. Instead, 
the slow pace seems to result from the fact 
that CHART-MASTER is written in com- 
piled BASIC. 

It may take you a while to warm up to 
CHART-MASTER', its somewhat rough 
user interface and daisywheel-printed doc- 
umentation can be a bit off-putting. How- 
ever. if you don’t easily give up, you will 
eventually see the reasons why the pro- 
gram has gathered so many fans over the 
years. 

CHART-MASTER certainly has many 
flaws and omissions, but its good points 
are quite tangible, too. B 


CHART-MASTER &«5 

Decision Resources 
25 Sylvan Road 
Westport, CT 06880 
(203)222-1974 


OHCLEeaiCWREACeR SERVICE CARD 


LIST PRICE: $375 

REQUIRES: I92K RAM. two disk diivcs 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boaids-IBM ColocrGiaptiics, Heicules 
Graphics 

Prinlerv-IBM Graphics, Color; Epson MX. RX, 
FX; Dalasouth DS 180; Dalapr^ucts P-Series; 
IDS Prism 80. 132 

Plotters-Amdek Amplot B; Apple; Cakomp 
M84; Gould DS7, DSIO; Hewlett-Packard 

7220 wosrr, 7225. 7470A, 7475A. 7550; 

Hiachi 671-10, 671-20; IBM XY/749. 
XY/750. 7371 A, 7372A; Houston 
Instniments DMP29. DMP40. DMP4 1 . 
DMP42; C. Itoh CX-4800; Mannesmann 
Talley Pixy 3; Sweel-P 100; Roland 
DXY800; Panasonic VP-6801; Strobe 100, 
200.260 

DOS versions-1 . 1, 2.0. 2. 1 , 3.0 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-klx, tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: hdk 

IKNERAL GRAPHICS FACILITIES: pcf 

pcd, mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FAOLmES: none 

SCREEN/PIUPaEimjOTrER 

FACnJTIES: 

Hatching-aht. mht 

Cokirchoice-acc. nxc 

Legends-acl. incl. vip 

Header lines-4 

Comment line»-l 

Note lines-none 

Comment posilk>r>-vcp 

Typcfonts-6 

'I^rpefonlsizea-16 

Chart ovefiay&-none 

Axis scaling-aas. mas 

Grid display-mgd (htHizcmtal only) 

Tick precision-atp (y axis only) 

Page adjustment-ppa, hva. psa 

INPUTSc 
Sources-ikb 
Gn^ihics formats-none 
Standard formals-ASCII. DIF 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-24 els, 24 egs, 24 cpg, 24 ssc, 
noc. nvc 

Bar charts-24 brs, 24bgs, 24 bpg, 24 ssb. nvb 
Line chafts-24 Ins.bOppl. 8tpl. 8 Ism. ull. usm. 
sU, sp). icl. rdl 

Regression types-linear, logahthmic. 

exponential, power, moving average 
Re charts-20 p^, 20 eps. ppv. apv. epv 
Text/vrard charts-none 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low chatts-24 ihl, 8 shl, 8 uhl 
Surface-area chaits-24 Ins. 600 pis 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE M. 1985 


149 



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CIRCLE 180 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


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01985 Polaroid Corp. 






BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Zebra Business Graphics 

The $45 Sure Thing 


Z ebra Business Graphics is Com- 
puVision’s short-necked, scaled- 
down counterpart to its Giraph 
Business Graphics The 

Zebra manual proclaims that the 
program is identical to its Giraph 
cousin except for its lack of plot- 
ter support. In reality, however, 
a few bugs that escaped Giraph 
crept under Zebra\ hide. Even 
though Zebra's graphs are so- 
phisticated in composition, the 
printed output is weak, the pro- 
gram is periodically inconsistent, 
and the documentation is care- zebra gives users sufficient tools to create graphs with 
less. But bugs and all. Zebra still impressive visual impact. 



Ins t punen t 
As 


FaMilies Used with MIDI 
of Januapy, 1985 



152 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11. 1985 


offers a quick and easy way to obtain 
meaningful business graphics from a vari- 
ety of data sources. 

For $45 Zehra exhibits enormous tal- 
ents. It effortle.ssly whips up versatile com- 
binations of line, bar, pie, scatter, high- 
low, text, and overlaid charts. If you enjoy 
making data talk by relying on overlaid 
graphs, 3-D graphs, clusterings, explo- 
sions, various scalings, and tick arrange- 
ments. you’ll love this program’s graphic 
flexibility. But best of all. Zebra makes it 
remarkably easy to create complex 
graphs — all of its features are accessible 
through the program's logically orga- 
nized, well-prompted screens. 


Maximum Visual Impact 

The program can handle a respectable 
12 variables, with 60 data points each. An 
advanced feature lets you combine two 
graphs on the same chart using separate 
right- and left-axis scaling. Every feature 
has built-in default selections to speed 
, along the process of graph construction, 
f Axis scales can be set linearly, logarithmi- 
Ically, or manually. You can label an axis 
Iwith preformatted variables like days, 
I weeks, months, and years. With 1 1 graph 
I types, six hatchings, three hatching densi- 
Ities, and three line patterns. Zebra gives 
lyou the tools to create graphs with maxi- 
num visual impact. 

Like Giraphy Zebra allows you to cre- 
|tc customized, text-only graphs using a 
jfill-in-the-chart” routine in which you 
^'ify text size, color. Justification, and 
^rth. 

jserics of graphs can be displayed as a 
|ow' on the monitor or submitted as a 
> to the printer. Slide shows can be 
1-whitc, high-ij|tf|||[^^rthree- 
^ u m - rc t i o n s : 

pd the 
nains 


nearly as good as you would expect. 
Strangely enough, it deteriorates from the 
screen image. Zebra supports only Epson 
and Epson-compatible printers. 

Bugs in the program force the user to 
experiment with print after print to achieve 
satisfactory results. A sample pie chart dis- 
played better output from a medium-reso- 
lution color screen dump than the high-res- 
olution black-and-white dump. The 
high-rcsoluilon dump actually graphed the 
pic sections incorrectly. All four prints dis- 
played thin, weak text and fill areas, com- 
posed of murky little dashes rather than 
dark, filled, closed areas. The weakness is 
most evident in titles and data labels, 
where large text gets so Jagged-looking 
that it becomes difficult to read. The out- 
put is probably adequate for most in-house 
usage, but for a presentation you’d want to 
print the graphs without titles and then 
hand-letter them. 

The pesky bugs that infeet the Zebra 
environment seem to reflect a sloppy atti- 
tude on the part of the program developers. 
On one menu, the free-form text option ap- 
pears when, in fact, this option is part of 
the Giraph program and is intended for use 
with plotters only. On a hatching density 
menu, two of the selections also apply to 
plotters and not printers. These appen- 
dages should have been removed when the 
program was adapted from Giraph. 

But the program is at its messiest in the 
documentation. The manual doesn’t men- 
tion Zebra's horizontal and high-low 
graph capabilities. It documents the cre- 
ation of bold and slanted text, when, in 
fact, these features don't exist in this pro- 
gram. One amusing goof is when the man- 
ual instructs you to look at some sample il- 
lustrations and nothing follows but an 
empty white page. There is no index or 
glossary. In sum, the Zebra manual is 
sorely in need of revision. 

Given its low price. Zebra is something 
of an industry phenomenon. The features 
included in this package outshine many of 
its expensive counterparts. With Zebra's 
bag of tricks you can manipulate your data 
instead of vice versa. Coupled with the 
program’s versatility is a refreshing sim- 
plicity not found in other feature-laden 
packages. Zebra has a few bugs, and the 
manual could stand some |X)lishing, but 
for $45 you can’t do much better. B 


Zebra Business Graphics 45 

Compu Vision 
70 Greenwich Avenue 
Suite 169 

NewYoric.NY 1001 1 
(212)620-8134 

OBCLE 666 ON READER SERVCE CARD 


LIST PRICE: $4S 
REQUIRES: 192K, one disk drive 

SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-any cotor/graphics (not 
Hercules) 

Printers-^Kon and con^tibles 
Plotters-none 
DOS vtrsions-2.0. 2. 1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutoriai-ptu 

ManuaMcs 

copy PROlECnON: nep 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FAC1UT1ES: pcf 
pcd. mda 

SCREEN latumcs FACnJTIES: aab, 
ssh, msd 

SOffiXNmiNlER/FLOnER 

FACnJTlESe 

Htfching-fnht 
Color dioice-^ncc 
Legend»-mcl, vlp 
Header lines-3 
Comment lines-none 
Note Une^-none 
Comment position-none 
Typefonts-3 
font sizes-3 
Quut overlays-2 
Axis scaling-mas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick precision-mtp 
Page adjustment-none 

INPUTS! 

Sources-ikb 

Grafrfiics formats-none 

Standard formats-ASOI, DIF, SYLK 

CHART TYPES: 

Column chafis-cis un^iecified. 12 egs, 60 cpg, 
12ssc, noc, 3dc 

Elar chaits-brs unspecified, 12 bgs, 60 bpg, 
12ssb.nob. 3db 

Linechafts-121ns,60ppi,34ri, 1 lsm,utl,usm, 
sU.ni.spl 

Regression types-none 

Pie charts-12 psi, 12 eps, epv, uap 

Text/word chaits-3 fpc, ctx, fix, btx, utx 

Gantt charts-none 

Organization charts-none 

Bubble charts-ncme 

Hi^low diarts-4 ihl 

Surface-area charts-12 Ins, 60 pis 


153 


AttenticHi. Awe 


^ denotes IBM-AT compatibility. 
SOFTWARE 

Aptec {ioT color Dataproducts Printers) 
^Rainbow Writer Color Text Formatter $1 1 9. 


.^Rainbow Writer Screen Grabber ... 69 

AshtoivTate 

^Base II 2.43 call 

^Base III 1 1 call 

--Framework 1.1 call 

Best Programs 

--Personal Finance Programs 1.1 65. 

-PC/Professional Finance Program II 3 0 149 

--PC/Fixed Asset System 3.0 329 

--PC/Tax Cut (for 7984 taxes) 129 

-4^ersonnel (Level 1) 279 

-Personnel (Level 2) 419 

-Personnel (Level 3) 559 

Bible Research 

-THE WORD 1 .0 (KN Bible * on disk) 145 

Borland International 

-Sidekick 1 lie. . 49 

-Turbo Pascal 3.0 . 37 

-Turbo Pascal 3.0 w/BCD . 59 

-Turbo 8087 3.0 63 

-Turbo 8087 3.0 w/BCD 72 

-Turbo Toolbox 1.0 30. 

-Graphics Toolbox 1.0 30 

-Turbo Tutor 1.0 19 

-Superkey 1.0 37. 

Broderbund 

-Bank Street Writer 49. 

Continental 

Home Accountant Plus 1.5C 89. 

The Tax Advantage (for 7984 taxesj 39. 

Financier 

-Financier II 2 1 109 

Friendly Soft 

-FriendlyWriter 2.0 (with FriendfySpeller) 55 

Funk Software 

-Sideways 2.11 39 

Harvard Software 

-Harvard Project Manager 11 . 209 

-Harvard Total Project Manager 1.0. 279 

Hayes 

-Smartcom It 2.1 89 

Lifetree 

-Volkswriter Deluxe 2.1 (with TextMerge) 159. 
-Volkswriter Scientific 1.0 289 

Living Videotext 

-ThinkTank 2.0 see special 

Lotus Development 

-1-2-3 la call 

-Symphony call 

Micro Data Base 

-Knowledgeman 1 .07 . 249 

Micro Education (MECA) 

-Managing Your Money 1 52 105. 

-Running Program (Jim Fixx) 49 

MicroPro 

-WordStar 3.31 179 


PC Connection 
Software Special 

through June 30. 7985 

LIVING VIDEOTEX! 

-ThinkTank 

The idea processor. Create outlines on 

the PC. Arrange your ideas and show 

how they relate to each other 

New Features: 

• Now you can think in color 

• CLONE - copy and move a portion of 
your outline and both copies can be 
updated simultaneously, they will al- 
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• HOIST - pull a small pah of your out- 
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• GATHER - mark selected headings 
and accummulate them into one 

• Expanded word processing features 
$99. 


Hard disk recommended for V^ordstar 


2000 S Wordstar 2000 Plus 

^WordStar 2000 $259 

-WordStar 2000 Plus 299. 

Microrim 

-R base 4000 1.15 259 

-Extended Repoh Writer 1.2 85 

-Clout 2.0 . . 135. 

Microsoft 

-Multiplan 1.2 125. 

-Microsoft Spell 35 

-Microsoft Word 20 239 

-Microsoft Mouse with software 135 

-Microsoft Serial Mouse with software 135 

-Microsoft Project 1.01 155 

-Microsoft Chah 1 01 155. 

Microstuf 

-Crosstalk XVI 3.5 99 

-Infoscope 1 .0 149 

-Transpoher 1 .5 (includes Crosstalk) ... 169 

MultIMate International 

-MultiMate 3.3 259. 

PCsoftware 

-PCcrayon II . 39. 

-Executive Picture Show 139 

-CREATABASE 47. 

Peter Norton 

-Nohon Utilities 3.0 59. 

Powerbase Systems 

-Powerbase 2.0 call 

Rosesoft 

-Prokey 4.0 89 

Satellite Software 

-WordPerfect 4.0 249. 

Software Arts 

-TKISolver 1.2 249 

-Spotlight 1.1 99. 

-Visicalc 99 


Software Group 

-Enable 1.1 call 

Software Publishing 

-PFS:Access C:00 84 

-PFS Fite B:01 84. 

-PFS:Graph B:01 84. 

-PFS:Plan A:01 84. 

-PFS:Proof B:00 59. 

-PFS Repoh B:01 77. 

-PFS:Write B:01 84 

Virtual Combinatics 

Micro Cookbook 29. 

Warner Software 

-The Desk Organizer 2 0. . 139. 

Xanaro 

-Ability 289 


TRAINING 

ATI 

-SKILL BUILDER PROGRAMS 

Intro and How To Use: 

Word Processing 

Business Software MS-DOS (2.0)* 

Data Bases PC-DOS (2.1 ) 

Compaq Home Accountant 

Basic VW Deluxe 

IBM-PC TKISolver 

each 32. 

^TRAINING POWER PROGRAMS 
How to Use: 

dBase II dBase III Lotus 1-2-3 

MS Word Easywriter II Multimate 

Mulliplan Supercalc 3 Framework 

Symphony Wordstar 

each 49. 

Comprehensive Software 


-Intro to Personal Computing . 39 

-Intro to Databases 39 

-Intro to Communications 39. 

-Intro to the Operating System (PC Tutor) 39. 

Individual Software 

-The Instructor 35. 

-Professor DOS 47 

-Tutorial Set (both items above) 75 

-Professor Pixel 4 

-Typing Instructor . 

Scarborough Systems 
Master Type 


EDUCATIONAL 

Digital Re search 

Diagnostj^H^^^) . . 

OwiCat 
OwiC 
Frien 
-Fnen 
Spin 
Edu' 

User 
Del 


• DEFECTIVE SOFTWARE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY DEFECTIVE HARDWARE REPLACED OR REPAIRED AT OUR DISCRETION SOME 
•COPYRiGHTMiCROCONNECTtON.INC 1985 ALLITEMSSUBJECTTQAVAILABILITY PRICESSUBJECTTOCHANGEWITHOUTNOTICE 
TRADEMARKS. AND PC CONNECTION IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK. OF MICRO CONNECTION, INC . MARLOW, NH 



PC Pacifier. 


Thing* that go crash in the ni^t 

L osing sleep over some PC problem? Do what our 
cool, calm, collected, and very furry friend is 
doing. Place an absolutely toll-free call to PC 
Connection in the sleepy little village of Marlow, NH 
(pop. 546). Because we're the lar^ direct mer^ant 
of PC products in the worid. And when one of our 
customers has a question about one of our products, 
we find the answer. 

So when there’s something strange, when there’s 
something weird, who you gonna 
call? Call us. Months before you’re 
ready to buy, or years later. Because 
our toll-free number isn 1 just for 
orders, it's for support. 

Fareweli to alarms. 

You’ll sleep better knowing that our 
phone consultants can bring order to 
the chaos of manufacturer’s installa- 
tion instmctions, or odd configura- 
tions. They can also help you select 
the best software for your applica- 
tions, and let you know if there’s an 
update coming soon. 


We have technical wizards on staff whose entire 
job is to answer complex questions in simple English 
sentences. Th^’ve been using PC’s, XTs, and A’Ts 
for so long, with so many different add-ons and pro- 
grams, that th^ can resolve just about any glitch, 
gloom, or glaring error you encounter. 

Sleep on It 

Kids have it easy. When they wake up screaming in 
the middle of the night, they just turn to a teddy bear 
for reassurance. But where can the 
PC insomniac turn? To his or her 
PC Connection pillow case, featur- 
ing our supremely reassuring 
mascot. They’re free to anyone 
who places a $500 order between 
now and June 30. 

Just call 1-800/243-8088 or 
1-603/446-3383, M-F 9:00 to 9:00; 
Saturday to 5:30. If you’re plan- 
ning to visit, call ahead to make 
sure what you want is in stock. 
The showroom closes at 8:00 M-F 
and at 5:00 on Saturday. 



The PC Coonectkia pIUow cate. Ltmlt one eet 
per ciutomer. Take two and call ut first thing In 
the morning. Offer not available to comment 
accounts. 


For the IBM-PC (XT & AT) exclusively. 






tance, alacrity 


^LQ-1500 (letter quality dot matrix) call 

^Printer to IBM Cable (specify printer) 27. 

FTG Data 

^Lighl Pen (Push Tip) 195. 

*»Derno Disk Set for Light Pen 39. 

Hayes 

..»Smartmodem 300 199 

**SnnartrrKXlem 1200 429 

^Smartmodem 1200B fw/Sma/tcom //; . 369 

.^SmartrTxxiem 2400 call 

^Smartcom II 2 1 89 

w^Compucable's 

Sma/1/noc/em-to-/BM Cable 25. 

Hercules Computer 

Hercules Graphics Card (parallel port) 309. 
►Hercules Color Card (parallel port) . . 169. 

^raph-X Software 42 

IOMEGA 

Bernoulli Box 20 Meg . . 2549. 

-*10 Meg cartridge 48 

Kensington Microware 

.Masterpiece see special 

key tronic 

Deluxe keyboard (KB 5151) 169 

Kraft 

.-Joystick 35 

Maynard Electronics 

Floppy Drive Controller 119. 

Internal Hard Disk (10 Meg) with 

WS-1 Controller 859 

Internal Hard Disk (10 Meg) with 

WS-2 Controller 1049. 

Mouse Systems 

.-PC Mouse (w/software. pad. & PC Paint) 139 

NEC 

.-Pinwriter P2-3 (IBM. 80 column) 559. 

-Pinwnter P3*3 (IBM. 132 column) 759. 

--Spinwriter 2050 (3550's little brother) 679. 
-•Spinwriter 3550 (IBM-PC compatible) 1099 
-Spinwriter 8550 (IBM-PC compatible) 1 489 
Orchid Technoiogies 


All Orchid Boards come with PCnet Drive 
(Ram disk). PCnet spool (print spooling). 


disk caching & partitioning 
Blossom 64k upgradeable to 384k. 
with clock calendar, serial and 

parallel port 229. 

PCnet Daughter Board (piggybacks to 
(Jilossom) with version 3 0 networking 

software call 

PCnet Blossom 64 k Blossom Board with 
the Daughter Board installed . . . call 

PC Turbo l26k call 

.- PC Net (stand alone card) call 

Nradise Systems 

.-Modular Graphics Card 275. 

-Muttidisplay Card 289. 

Princeton Graphics 

.-HX-12 RGB monitor (690 x 240) call 

->MAX-12 Amber monochronie monitor call 

-•SR* 12 690 X 480 res w/Doubler call 

•'Scan Doubler Board for SR-1 2 call 


Quad ram 

Quadboard 64k expandable 
to 5S4k, witK clock calendar, parallel, 
serial & game port, I/O bracket, and 
Quadmaster software $249. 


. -Microfa^er Printer Buffer (parallel) w/copy 

MP 64 (64k) upgradeable to 512k ■'63 

-Quadcolor 1 197 

. -Quadchfome RGB Monitor , . 469 

-• Quadchrome H 449 

SMA (Systems Management) 

PC-Documate Keyboard Templates 
available for: 

DOS/Basic 1 1 Supercalc 3 

DOS/Basic 2 0-2.1 Wordstar 

Lotus 1*2*3 Turbo Pascal 

Symphony WordPerfect 

Multiplan (IBM) dBase 11 

Mulliplan (Microsoft) dBase III 
Peachtext 5000 Framework 

Easywriter 11 Multimate 

Volkswriter Deluxe each 12. 


WICO 

-Joystick 35. 


TEAC 

FD-55B {5y4’') half-height drive (DS.DD) 

$109, 

Free mounting bracket with each pair of 
half-heights. 


MEMORY 

64k Memory Upgrade Set for IBM-PC 

or XT system board 19. 

64k Memory Upgrade Set for any memory 

boarcTsp^i/y make of board 19 

Install merrx)ry upgrades & run diagnostics 
at time of board purchase only 10. 

DISKS 

Fuji 

-Disks for IBM-AT (96 TPI) Box of 10 ... 39 

MAXELL 

-Disks for IBM*AT (96 TPI) BoxoflO. .. 45. 

VertMrtim 

Datalife Disks SS/DD Box of 10 21 , 

-Oatalife Disks DS/DD Box of 10 27. 

-Disk Drive Analyzer 19 

-Flip Sort (holds 75 disks) 19. 


DRIVES 

All drives are completely pre-tested and are 
supplied with a printout of the test results. 
Comes with complete step by step installation 
instructions. Drives are 320k/360k. 

Tendon 

TM 100-2 (S’/O full-height drive (DS.DD) 109. 


INFORMATION SERVICES 

CompuServe 

-Compusen/e Information Service 
(includes subscription, manual. 5 hours of 
connect time, monthly publications) , . 19. 
Source Telecomputing 
-The Source (subscription & manual ) .... 39. 


Still 

Kicking. 


Has IBM’s recent announcement 
about the PCjr, left you feeling like 
you’re upstream without a joystick? 
Never fear. Just because they’ve 
eliminated the little micro doesn’t 
mean JR CONNECTION’S going 
to roll over and play dead. We’re 
committed to our junior customer. 


We’ll continue to offer low prices on 
lots of products, with great support. 

So keep on calling junior specialists 
at JR CONNECTION. 1-800/ 
IBM-jrPC or 603/446-7761. They 
can help you with all your junior 
add-on and software needs. 


1-800/IBM-jrPC 


CIRCLE 339 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




s(Mne advice, assi 


Snooper Troops I fages 10 to adult) $30 
Snooper Troops II (ages 10 to adult) . . 30. 
Most Amazing Thing fages 10 &up) . . . 27 
President’s Choice fages 13 to adult). . . 27 

»»Face Maker (ages 3 fo 8; 23. 

Kids on Keys (ages 3 to 9) 23. 

Story Machine (ages 5 to 9) 23. 

^raction Fever (ages 7 to adult) 23. 

^Kinder Comp (ages 3 to 8) 20, 

Rhymes and Riddles fages 5 to 9^ 20. 

Hey Diddle Diddle fages 3 to 10) 20. 

^Alpiiabet Zoo (ages 3 to 8) 20. 

Stone (requires graphics board) 

My Letters.Numbers, Words fages 1 to 5) 29. 

Kids Stuff fages 3 to 8) 29. 

Across the U S A. fages 5 and up) 22 


GAMES 


Blue Chip 

•Millionaire 39 

--Tycoon 39. 

•-Baron 39 

Broderbund 

Lode Runner 25. 

FriendlySoft 

*^riendtyWare/PC Arcade 35. 

Hayden Software 

•-Sargon HI 35. 

Infocom Difficulty levels shown in italics 

.'Seastalker (junior) 25. 

•-Enchanter (standard) 25. 

-•the Witness fstandard; 25. 

«»Planetfall (standard) 25. 

.-Cutthroat (standard) 25. 

-Hitchhiker’s Gu«de (standard) 25. 

.-Zork I (standard) 25. 

-Zork II fadvancedj 29 

.-Zork III (advanced) 29 

.-Infidel fadvanced; 29. 

--Sorcerer fadvancedj 29. 

--Suspect (advanced) 29. 

-Deadline (expert) 33. 

/ -Starcross (expert) 33. 

-Suspended (expert) 33. 

Invisiclues (hint bo^lets) are available 

for most Infocom games. Specify game . . . 7. 

Microsoft 

-Flight Simulator 35. 

Origin Systems 

-Ultima III 39 

PCSoftware 

. -Armchair Quarterback 27. 

-Chess 2001 27 

-Championship Blackjack 23. 

Professional Software 

-Trivia Fever 23 

Sir-Tech 

Wizardry 42. 

Spectrum Holobyte 

GATO 27. 

Sublogic 

-^vlight Mission Pinball 29 


PC Connection 
Hardware Special 

through June 30. 1985 

KENSINGTON MICROWARE 

- Masterpiece 

Four accessories in one package 

• Swivel base for your monitor 

• 5 switched outlets * includes "Master” 
switch to control all outlets as well as 
individual switches 

• Surge suppressor - keeps power sur- 
ges and spikes at a safe level 

• Static protection - touch the name- 

plate before you begin work and 
static charges are grounded . $94 


OUR POLICY 

• We accept VISA and MASTERCARD. 

• No surcharge added for charge cards. 

• Your card is not charged until we ship 

• If we must ship a partial order, we never 
charge freight on the shipment(s) that 
complete the order. 

• No sales tax, 

• All shipments insured; no additional charge 

• Allow 1 week for personal and company 
checks to clear. 

• UPS Next-Day-Air available 

• COD max $1000 Cash or certified check. 

• 120 day guarantee on all products * 

• To order, call us anytime Monday thru Friday 
9:00 to 9;00. or Saturday 9:00 to 5 30 You 
can call our business offices at 
603/446-3383 Monday thru Friday 9:00 to 
5:30. 


SHIPPING 

Continental US: For monitors, printers, and 
drives, add 2% for UPS ground shipping Call for 
UPS Blue or UPS Next-Day-Air For all other 
items, add $2 per order to cover UPS shipping. 
We will automatically use UPS 2nd-Oay-Air at no 
extra charge if you are more than 2 days from us 
by UPS ground. Hawaii: For monitors, printers, 
and drives, actual UPS Blue charge will be 
added. For ail other items, add $3 per order. 
Alaska and Outside Continental US: Call 603/ 
446-3383 for information. 


1 - 800 / 243-8088 

PC Connection 100M 

6 Mill St.. Marlow. NH 03456 
603/446-3383 


HARDWARE 

AST Research (For IBM-PC or XT) 

All AST Boards come with SuperDrive. 
SuperSpool. and one year warranty. 
SixPakPlus 64k upgradeable to 384k, with 


clock calendar, serial and parallel ports 

(game port optional) $249, 

MegaPlus II 64k upgradeable to 256k {or 
more with MegaPak) with clock calendar 
and serial port (parallel, game, or second 

serial port optional) 249. 

MegaPak 128k (not upgradeable) 209 

MegaPak 256k 339 

I/O Plus II with clock calendar and serial 
port (parallel, game, or second serial 

port optional) 129. 

Parallel Game or second Serial Port 

for any AST board (specify board) 35. 

Connectall connector bracket (PC only) 19 

AST-5251 -12 529 

AST-5251 -11 709 

-AST-3780 589. 

Amdek 

-Video 300G monitor (green) 139 

‘Video 300A monitor (amber) 149 

-Video 31 OA monitor (amber) 179 

•-Color 600 - RGB monitor 399. 

Compucable 

Plastic Keyboard & Drive Cover Set . 17. 

-IBM Mono Screen Enhancement 17. 

-Printer to IBM Cable (specify printer ) ... 27. 
-Smartmodem to IBM Cable 25. 

Cussta Systems 

Datasaver f200w power back up) call 

Curtis 

STANDS 

-PC Pedestal ffor IBM Mono or (Solor) . 37. 

-PGS or Ouadchrome Adapter for above 9. 

-Low Profile Till and Swivel Pedestal 37. 

AD-2 Adapter for Portables 15. 

System Stand 19. 


CABLES 

-Extension Cables for IBM Mono Display 35. 
Keyboard Extension Cable f3 to 9 feet) 27. 
•‘'AC Plug Adapter (any monitor to your PC) 8 

SURGE SUPPRESSORS 

All surge suppressors have an on/off switch. 


-Diamond f6 ouf/efs.) 33. 

-Emerald f6 outlets; 6 ft cord) 43, 

-Sapphire (3 outlets; EMI/RFI filtered ). ... 53. 


-Ruby f6 outlets; EMI/RFI filtered; 6 ft cord) 63 

Epson 

All Epson printers have built in graphics 
capability. In addition, the “Plus" printers 
can print in near letter quality (NLQ) with the 
addition of the NLQ parallel or serial option. 
-LX-80 (replaces RX-80 ■ includes NLQ) call 


-RX-100 call 

-FX-80PIUS call 

-FX-100 Plus call 

-JX-80 call 


For the IBM-PC Exclusively. 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Giraph Business Graphics 

Flexible and fordable Graphics 


G iraph Business Graphics may not 
spell its name the same way as its 
long-necked counterpait, but it 
can definitely look down on 
many of its competitors. The 
program creates a variety of 
chaits and graphs, including line, 
bar, three-dimensional pie, scat- 
ter, and text formats and com- 
bines them to create a spectrum 
of interesting graphs and charts. 
Its versatile output can be pro- 
duced with all Epson-compatible 
printers and a variety of plotters, 
on paper or on transparencies. A 
series of graphs can be displayed 



Giraph gives you a good variety of toola to create gnM>h* 
with maximum visual Impact 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 
As of January, 1985 


Keyboard - 60% 
Guitar - 20% 
Percussion - 13% 
Other - 7% 


Source: 



American Music Association 
1904 Market Survey 
Courtesy AMA 


Prepared by ComputerBand Inc 
Marketing Department 
March. 1985 


158 


PC MAGAZINE a JUNE II. I98S : 


as a “slide show” on the monitor or sub- 
mitted as a batch job to the printer or plot- 
ter. Creating a Giraph graph is a fluid, 
quickly mastered operation. And at $95, 
it’s easy to overlook the package’s occa- 
sional quirks. 

Giraph relies on a well-organized, 
menu-driven program. Function-key func- 
tions, listed on the bottom of each screen, 
supplement the menu choices. The main 
menus let you select the type of graph, the 
type of line the graph will display, and the 
graph’s labels (many labels, such as days 
of the week, months, and years, ate al- 
ready formatted). Once the initial design is 
created, design menus let you add titles, 
specify colors, hatchings, shadings, and 
scalings. 

The program can handle up to 12 vari- 
ables, with 60 data points each. The pie 
charts can display up to 12 slices, all of 
which can be exploded. Pie charts can be 
represented in degrees, percents, or as ra- 
tios of a full circle. Bar charts can be clus- 
tered, spaced, stacked, or depicted in 3-D. 
An advanced program feature combines 
bar and line graphs on the same chart with 
separate right- and left-axis scaling. Gir- 
aph lets you size and position graphs any- 
where on the paper or screen, and you can 
use any printable symbol to mark a data 
point. With its six different hatchings, five 
hatching densities, three line patterns, and 
several line thicknesses, Giraph gives you 
the tools to create graphs with maximum 
visual impact. 

By selecting the Text Chart option from 
the main menu, you can produce custom- 
ized text-only graphs. Creating a text chart 
is a fill-in-the-chart affair; you can specify 
text attributes such as size, color, and justi- 
fication. 

Giraph's Slide Show/Batch Job option 
produces graphs previously saved on disk. 
The slide show accommodates black-and- 
white, high-resolution or three-color, me- 
dium-resolution presentations; you specify 
the order and the duration of each slide in 
the presentation. You can send batch jobs 
either to the printer or the plotter. 

You enter data by using tbe arrow keys, 
typing in the data, and labeling tbe col- 
umns, as in a spreadsheet. The function 
keys are used to insert rows and columns 
and to enter values onto the data grid. If 
you want to recall a saved file, you can call 


up a directory of all files with the Giraph 
extension .DES. After you select a stored 
file, the data is displayed on the data grid 
for your approval or modification. Data 
files can also be imported from DIF, 
SYLK, and ASCU formats. 

When plotting a graph, Giraph allows 
you to insert text in various orientations, 
including vertical and opposing right an- 
gles, anywhere on the plot. This "free 
text” option is inspiring but tricky. Free- 
form text is limited to plotter output and 
will not be displayed on the screen. To use 
the feature you’ve got to constantly attend 
your plotter, manually repositioning the 
pen for each line of free text. If your eyes 
ate not trained to manually align lines of 
type, or your plotter is physically separated 
from your computer, you’ll have problems 
using this feature. 

The only way to print a graph is to use 
the Shift-PrtSc key combination and do a 
screen dump. To print a graph on the print- 
er it must be printed on the display screen 
first. The Giraph output menu lists 
“Graph now on display/printer” as a sin- 
gle option, but it would be nice to have the 
choice of outputting to the screen or the 
printer. 

Another small flaw is in Giraph's print- 
ed text options. You can choose from 
among small, medium, and large text. 
These measurements do not let you deter- 
mine if your text will ultimately fit on a 
plotted chart. Insulating the user from 
mathematical and typesetting jargon is 
good, but you should be able to tell if the 
text will fit the page prior to plotting. 

The manual is the most obvious weak 
spot. It is rife with typographical errors and 
misleading information. For instance, the 
word dale appears instead of data, and the 
document references the C. Itoh printer 
while the screen references an Amdek. 
The manual doesn’t mention horizontal 
and high-low graphs, even though Giraph 
produces them. There is no index. A re- 
vised manual would be welcome. 

Despite these minor problems, Giraph 
produces interesting and varied business 
graphics at an affordable price. You are 
given a wide range of choices without the 
complexities of some of the other feature- 
laden graphics packages. For the money, 
Giraph is one of the best buys in tbe busi- 
ness graphics zoo. B 


Giraph Business Graphics 43 

Compu Vision 
70 Greenwich Avenue 
Suite 169 

New York, NY 1001 1 
(212)620-8134 


CIROr 695 ON REAtreR SERVICE CARD 


UST PRICE: S9S 

REQdRES: 192K RAM, one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boaids-any color graphics (not 
Hercules) 

Prinrers-Epson and compatibles 
Plotters-IBM XY/749; Hewleu-Packard 
7470A, 7475A, 7550A; Amdek II: IBM 
XY/750 

DOS veisions- 1 . 1 . 2.0 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 

Manual-tcs 

COPY PROTECnON: ncp 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: 

pcf, pcd, mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: 

aab, ssh, msd 

SCRE EN/P RINTER/PLOTTER 

FACIUTIES: 

Hatching-mht 

Ckrior choice-mcc 

Legends-mcl. vlp 

Header lines-3 

Comment lines- 1 6 

Note lines-16 

Comment position-vcp 

Type fonts-I 

Type fonts sizes~3 

Chart overlays-2 

Axis scaling-mas 

Grid display-mgd 

Tick precislon-mtp 

Page adjustment-ppa. hva, psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 

Graphics formats-none 

Standard formats-ASai, DIF, SYLK 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charis-cls unspecified, I2cgs,60 
cpg, 12 ssc, noc, 3dc 

Bar charts-brs unspecified, 12bgs,60bpg, 12 
ssh, nob, 3db 

LiiKcharts-l21ns,60ppl,3tpl, 121sm, utl, 
usm, sU, fit, spl 
Regression types-none 
Pie charts- 1 2 psi, I2ep6, epv, trap 
Text/word charts-3 f)x;, cts, jtc, bts, utx 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-4 ihl 
Surface-area charts- 12 Ins, 60 pis 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II, 1985 


IS9 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


VCN ExecuVision 


The Cadillac of Presentation Graphics 


V CN ExecuVision may be for you 
if you want a package that can do 
it all and don't mind paying the 
price. ExecuVision generates the 
normal business graphics, such 
as bar graphs and pie charts, but 
it is also a full-service package 
that offers the electronic equiva- 
lent of clip art as well as a variety 
of type fonts, free-form drawing, 
animation, and special effects. It 
even includes a slide-show fea- 
ture. In addition, when com- 
bined with its companion ptcxl- 
uct, EV Capture, ExecuVision 
can take any screen display from 
any other program and spmce it 
up for color output. The com- 
plete package offers a whale of 
benefits with a price tag to 
match. 

ExecuVision turns you into an 
instant hi-tech Picasso with its 
hundreds of full-screen, full-col- 
or images that you can "cut and 


paste.” You can use the images to add in- 
terest value to yoirr charts and graphs or 
simply to illustrate important topics. (One 
caveat: ExecuVision's libraries of images 
are sold separately.) Available libraries in- 
clude borders, initials and decorative de- 
sign, an industry and business catalog, the 
world's faces and figures, maps and inter- 
national symbols, health and fimess, fi- 
nancial services, transportation, and the 
computer collection. Prentice-Hall says 
more libraries are underdevelopment. 

You can use the electronic clip art to 
spruce up a basic bar chart by adding a re- 
alistic drawing that depicts the topic of the 
data. You simply position a box around the 
figure or pix (a part of a picture) that you 
want to "cut out" from one of the library 
images and then position the figure onto 
your own electronic slide for "pasting.” 
Every slide or image that you create can 
have a customized look because you tailor 
it to convey your own message . Other pre- 
sentation graphics packages offer libraries 
of prestored images, but none comes close 


to matching ExecuVision'^ colorful, 
straight-ftom-the-art-department look. 

Type fonts are another strong suit of Ex- 
ecuVision. With ten different ones, you 
can quickly create showy text slides. Each 
font comes in a different size that you can 
enlarge (but not reduce). You can also 
overlay text on a colored background with 
or without a cut-out effect. For more dis- 
tinctive type, ExecuVision's graphics li- 
brary includes decorative initials that you 
can cut and paste onto your slides. 

With ExecuVision. you don't have to 
search through a manual every time you 
forget a command. This menu-driven 
package flashes a short, helpful prompt to 
explain each command as you highlight it 
with the cursor. Menus are layered so that 
each choice takes you to a more detailed 
menu. But after using each option once, 
you can generally keep the options straight 
because the prompts remind you what each 
option means. 

Even Cadillac's aren't perfect, howev- 
er, and this top-of-the-line package has a 
few dents that limit its usefulness. Al- 
though the menu smicture is a boon to oc- 
casional users, frequent users may find it 
very tedious to cycle through menu after 
menu. A future revision should offer a 
shortcut, such as hitting the first letter of 
the menu choice to call up a function. It's 
also cumbersome to exit a menu. To get 
out of one menu and into another, you 
have to move the cursor to the exit choice. 
Instead, you should be able to get out with 
one key press, perhaps the Esc key. 

Another irksome feature is that you 
cannot access an on-line directory of slide 
names at the point in the program when 
you are asked to type the slide's name. But 
when you use stock images from the librar- 
ies, the lack of an on-line listing is no prob- 
lem because their names are listed in the 
accompanying library booklets. Keeping 
track of the names of your own images can 
be harder than it sounds. 

ExecuVision's virtues win you over de- 


Instrunent FaHilies Used with HIDI 
fts of January, 198S 


. ,s. ^ 

iEopS'. r ’-'r 

lii. 'ipi 

«il|r ’ 


Source; 

I^ierican Husic Assoc. 
1965 HsHcet Sur^ 



GUSSIOM 
OTHER 


Prepared by 
CcmputerBcrMl In. 
Hcriceting DeportHent 


ExecuVi8ion'9 cut*ancH>a8te images can add interest to pedestrian charts. 


160 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE \ \, 1985 


spite its flaws. In fact, you will find that 
adding color and special effects to your 
presentations is fiin. If the colors of the li- 
brary images don’t appeal to you, you 
keep pressing one key to cycle through 
foreground and background color 
schemes, based on a color-coordinated 
palette, until you find what you want. 

Another slick ExecuVision trick is mo- 
tion. You can build slides with elements 
that move in straight lines. Or you can add 
interest to your presentation with a skier 
sliding down a hill, a bar growing up the 
scale in a chart, or an airplane flying 
through the air. For a unifying effect, you 
can move one element through several dif- 
ferent slides and even leave a trail behind. 

After creating a graphic and saving it to 
disk, you can call it back up along with 
other stored slides to create an entire pre- 
sentation. ExecuVision' s slide-show op- 
tion allows you to show your graphics in 
sequence on the computer screen. You sort 
the graphics into the desired order using 
the prepare option and then use the run op- 
tion to display each image on the screen in 
turn, with either automatic or manual ad- 
vance. One double-sided, double-density 
disk can hold 30 to 40 slides. 

ExecuVision's manual is not only clear 
but colorful. The 446-page manual intro- 
duces the commands in both a slow, easy 
style and a fast-track method, but it lacks a 


bird’s-eye view of the package and a card 
that summarizes the commands. The man- 
ual’s index would be more helpful if it 
highlighted the page that best describes a 
particular topic rather than listing every 
page number that mentions the topic. The 
index is combined with the glossary. 

ExecuVision's copy-protection and 
backup policies could use revamping. Cur- 
rently. you must always have the original 
system disk to create and run your slide 
shows. Backup copies cost extra. It would 
be helpful if you could at least run a slide 
show without the system disk. 

One final peculiarity is that ExecuVi- 
sion will not ran on computers equipped 
with certain AST boards. If you plan on 
running it with AST equipment, you had 
better contact Prentice-H^l to see if your 
equipment is compatible. 

TTie only real drawback of ExecuVision 
is the high cost of its “extended" pack- 
age — that is, the libraries. Without them, 
the package loses a great deal of its appeal. 
ExecuVision images certainly have an art- 
department look that you will not find in 
other graphics packages that offer elec- 
tronic clip art. But that look commands a 
steep price. If you need a graphics package 
with slick visual building blocks you won’t 
go wrong with ExecuVision because it can 
help you create presentations that go be- 
yond the standard fare . ■ 


TREiiEnnaus erdiiith 

HIM 

-6800 I 

aOoo 

iNMiSTinr 



300 

100 






A variety of type fonts and decorative details can also be added. 


VCNExBcuVfaiaa 

Visual CcHnmunications Network. Iik. 
238 Main St. 

Cambridge, MA02142 
(617)497-4000 

CIRCIE 666 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


LbT PRICE: $393 (capture module. $123) 
REQlJIRESe256KR^M, two disk drives 

SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Cc^/Graphics 
Monitcav-IBM Color 

Printers-Epson Graftrax, iX-80; IBM Graphics. 
Color, CHablo Inkjet: Facit 4344; IDS Piisra; 
Quadram Quadjet; Canon Inkjet; Hermes 613 
Ploaers-Hewlett-Packard 7473A 
DOS versions-2.0. 2. 1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-gtm. idx, tcs 

COPV PROTECTION: hdk 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACmilESe pcf , 

pcd 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACILITIES: ssh, 
asd, msd 

SCREEN/PRINTER/FLanER 

FAClUTIESc 

Hatdiing-nht 
Cdor choice-acc, mcc 
Legoids-mci. vIp 
Header lines-unlimited 
Comment lines-unlimited 
Note lines-unlimited 
Comment position-fcp 
Typefbnts-lO 

font sizes-unlimited 
Qiart overlays-unliraited 
Axis scaling-aas 
Grid display-agd, mgd 
Tick precision-atp, mtp 
Page adjustment-hva, psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 

Graphics formats-Visitiend/Plot 
Staiidard formats-none 

PROGRAM CHARAClERISnCS: 

Design m^iod-fed. std 
Userinterfoce-IOl mop.tmu 
Type fonts and sizes-lO fol. 10 foy 
E^attem handling-30 ppa 
Drawing tools-bbm. vpb, c(^. idr 
Predefined diarts and imagefr-pci, ppi, pli 
Other business chart fmnats-none 
Image libraries-30 pis. 19Ua. $80-$90ai]. sup 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


161 









BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


GraffHopper 

Scaled-Down Main Frame Graphics 


G raffHopper's innovative ap- 
proach makes chart-building 
simple. The package provides a 
libr^ of 101 ready-made chart 
formats including pies, bars, 
lines, and combination charts. 
By selecting the chart number 
you desire and entering your data 
in response to the prompts, you 
can quickly create no-fhlls charts 
in a final form and print them in 
color or black and white. 

GraffHopper is a scaled- 
down version of a more potent 
package called GDSS, which 
runs on Burroughs and NCR ma- 



The easiest way to create a QrattHopper chart Is to salect a 
chart from Its library. 



162 


PC MAGAZINE a JUNE 1 1 . 1985 


lAPEfTEASl 



Boy, are you in for a surprise. 
You know you need mass storage. 
And you know you need some 
kind of backup. 

But what you don’t know 
is that making a backup from 
your hard disk can take the 
patience of a saint. And tax the 
memory of an elephant. 

Unless, of course, you 
have a little TLC.The new 
THmLine Combo from Corvus. 
You get mass storage (20 Mbytes). 
The incredible speed and effi- 
ciency of a hard disk. And an 
integral tape backup. 

But there the similarity 
between a Corvus and anything 
else ends. 

First of all,your TLC fits 
in l)eautifully. Between your IBM 
PC’s monitor and base. No bulk>' 
boxes. And no clumsy cables 
and wires to trip over. 

Next, you 
get the world’s 
easiest tape 


backup system. If you like using 
command lines,fine.The TLC will 
accommodate you. But if you’re 
more interested in simplicityjust 
use one of the TLC’s menus. 

And one of your fingers. 

You can back up the 
entire disk. All your data for the 
day. A group of selected files. 

Or just one single file. As a 
matter of fact, you can back up 
whatever you want. Which will 
save you quite a bit of time and 
aggravation. 


You’ll also find backed up 
files in seconds with the TLCls 
Directory.No more searching an 
entire tape just to find one file. 

Finallyyou’ll epjoy the 
backup speed of the TLC. 

There’s no formatting of blank 
tapes (which can save you about 
two hours). And no worry about 
losing data to bad sectors the 
format has called good. 

Scared? Don’t be. 

Just tape it easy. Check out the 
TVimLine Combo from Corvus. 

In addition to 
all the features, 
it’s one of the 
lowest-priced 
tape backup 
.systems you 
can find. 

For more 
information and 
the name of your 
nearest Corvus 
TLC deiiler, call (800-4- 
CORVUS). 




Gorvus 


(B.M bareicistfred tratkmarkoftntematiofval Business Machines. 
C l98Sfon‘usS)-»irms.Iiic. 


CIRCLE 124 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




BEFOM YCXI GET ON niE WRONG TRACK. READ THIS 
ABOUT THE ONLY ROM-BOOTABLE. 
PLUG-COMRATIBLE. XENIX SUPPORTING. 
HEAD-CRASH PROTECTED. HIGH-PERFORMANCE 
HARD DISK UPGRADE KIT FOR YOUR IBM K- AT. 



Roiary Voice Coil (RVC> 
R'W head positioner 
Fast and Accurate ^ 


Up to 30% faster 
(Kan IBM’t «fn«r. 

Exceetlt IBM (pecificaiion 
for AT KicK'^/ormance 
Korrf disk. Average Access 
20 9 30 MB: 39ms 
40. 56, 72 MB: 28 nu 


BootabU ROM rttpporu 
DOS and XENIX 
Only from CORE. 


You didn't buy an 
IBM PC-AT just to 
balance your checkbook. 
You bought it to crunch 
lots of numbers and 
words, in the shortest 
possible time A labor 
saver. A time saver. 

Hoice, a money saver. 

So, do your part for effec- 
tive money management; 
hard disk storage is no 
place to be penny-wise and 
pound foolish. 

^NEED 
iOKf 

These and other 
important features do add 
co^ but that makes a 
premium drive 

Anything that can be 
made can be made 
cheapo’, sell for less, offer 
lower performance, and 
pro^bly die young. 

Ronember, usually 
you get what you pay for, 
and you ALWAYS get 
what you don’t 


ME NOT CREXm EQUAL 

There are vast differences 
in the speed and reliability 
of Wincnester hard disks. 
Since the IBM PC-AT is an 
incredibly fast machine, a 
slow drive can make an AT 
run like an XT. 

So. before you get stuck 
with a slow drive in your 
AT. save your boss two 
grand and buy an XT. 

Or better yet, buy the AT 
and avoid any drive with 
Access Times over 40 milli- 
seconds. 


Now tell ’em the drive 
must have a data protec- 
tion scheme One that’s 
easy to use and reliable. 

Winchester heads read 
and write while “flying" a 
few microns above the 
data surface If the heads 
contact the recording 
media, you risk a head 
crash, and significant or 
total data loss. 

So, even a fast drive 
without data protection is 
virtually worthless. Frank- 
ly, we’d rather sleep at 
night 

^MEOF 
T-DEPENDEKT 
"CnON SCHEMES. 

Some drives have a 
safe landing zone for the 
heads, but you need to call 
a separate program to 
send ’em there. If you 
don’t call that program, 
and most folks won’t the 
heads in these drives 
ALWAYS land on data 
when powered down. 

The slightest bump or 
vibration can move the 
heads, wiping out those 
data trac^. And the R/W 
heads can become 
contaminated, thus 
increasing the error rate, 
slowing down average ac- 
cess until the whole drive 
fails. 


Consequently, those 
drives offer a very high 
risk of head crashes, a 
false sense of security, and 
little else. 

What's your data 
worth? $200? $400? 

Specify AUTOMATIC 
data protection. ATplus 
has it And it doesn t cost 
it pay& 

PEACE OF MMD. 

Specify AUTOMATIC 
park and lock of the heads 
on power down. 

This syst^n provides 
unparallel^ head crash 
protection, by sensing 
power loss to the drive, 
and retracting the heads 
to a dedicated landing 
zone before they can land 
on your data 

Since this is 100% 
automatic, user-dependent 
risk is ebminated. 

s^VEAU 
TOBOOTCAMR 

Avoid drives that 
CLADM PC-AT compatibil- 
ity but can’t BOOT the AT. 
By the time you juggle the 


[DUE 

mTEBSJmOHAL, 


diskettes necessary to use 
one of those drives, the 

K hrase “usenhostile" will 
ave deep personal signifi- 
cance. 

We believe that 
computers ought to serve 
peoi^e, not the other way 
around 

Avoid drives with in- 
expensive Band-Stepper 
positioner technology. 

These were pretty good 
way back in 1980, con- 
sidering that’s all anyone 
had But by today’s stand- 
ards, they’re inaccurate 
and very mechanical 
They waste time look- 
up for tne right track to 
read or write. And they’re 
worth no where near me 
price you’ll pay for ’em -in 
more ways than ona 

THE MGN TECH SOUmON. 

Specify stateof-theart 
ROTARY VOICE COIL 
(RVC) head positicmer and 
CLOSED LOOP SERVO 
tedinolc^es. 

This system uses a 
DEDICATED SERVO 
SURFACE (DSS) for 
continuous head location 
information. 

The RVC and DSS 
use a large scale micropro- 
cessor to translate new 
track-seek commands into 
current that is applied di- 
rectly to the RVC. 


ATplua driw are (S5) 
are manufactured 


Full one year warranty. 

Service available woridwide. 

( drive ehnwn with cover removed) 

Automatic PorK 9 Lock fAP9L) 
Seneee potver intempt, rrtracu 
headt to safe landirtg-tane. Heads 
never land on data. wrtMoily 
elimmaiinc riek of data Um. 


IS - I2S fi 

cK(|> tec Adds 256 KB to PC-AT 
boeic tnodcl nutkinc 512ICB f^-AT. 
WitK an ATpIut drive, you con 
build (Ke PC-AT IBM dtould Ka«« 
built in the first place. 


This moves and holds 
the R/W heads at the 
exact track intended 

Speed is dramatically 
incT^sed since head 
movement is created elec- 
tronically, with minima] 
mechanical interfacing. 


Specify niunes you 
know and can trust Like 
Control Data Corporation, 
a world leader in hard 
disk technology. And 
CORE INTERNATIONAL 
a growth company with 
over ten years in computer 
technology, design and 
manufacturing. 

fimmss. 

ATplus High 
Performance Hard Disk 
Upgrade kits, available in 
20. 30. 40. 56, and 72 MB 
capacities. 

They have ALL the 
above features and none 
of the shoitcomings of 
“bargain" drives. 

And your AT will 
accept any two ATplus 
drives, for up to 144MB of 
bootable, reliable, DOS 
and XENIX supporting 
high-performance on-line 
storage, all inside the box. 

TEU. YOUR DEAUR- 

That only ATplus Hard 
Disk Upgrade Kits from 
CORE will do. 

I f he or she doesn’t have 
’em, we’ll gladly set them 
up as ATplus authorized 
dealers. 


542 S.E. 5th Avenue • Delray Beach, Florida • 305/276-3929 

ATplu* m • trademark of CORE INTERNATIONAL Inc 
CIRCLE 225 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


O (X)KK INTKRNATIONAI.. Inc., IHtci 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


chines. GrajfHopper occupies 1 megabyte 
of disk space spread across three floppies 
that handle booting, the program itself, the 
library of 101 charts, and the help files. 
The .system is copy-protected and there are 
no provisions, in this version, for a .sepa- 
rate data disk. You must save your charts 
on the program disk. 

Menu Mode 

To create a chart in the menu mode, you 
select a chart from the library, or Chart- 
book. of 101 ready-made images. A series 
of prompts then asks you for such pertinent 
details as the number of bats, the value as- 
signed to each bar. the title of the chart — 
whatever is appropriate to the type of chart 
you have selected. These prompts are easy 
enough to answer, though the curious be- 
ginner may be distracted by the unex- 
plained numbers or codes that flash on the 
screen at various points in the process. 

Command Mode 

Alternatively, a command mode that 
includes formatting commands is available 
if you would rather build your chart from 
scratch. All the commands are listed al- 
phabetically in a handy pocket guide. You 
can also chart data from the DIF files creat- 
ed by many spreadsheet programs, or from 
tabular ASCII files created with your word 
processing program, a BASIC program, or 
any other source. You can build command 
files that let you re-use your own custom- 
ized formats or load commonly referenced 
DIF or ASCII data files. 

Considerable Problems 

Two fonts are available: an italic serif 
style or sans serif block characters. Most 
charts in the library use the rather plain 
block letters. You can enter a main title 
and a secondary title for a chart, but in the 
tested charts the secondary title was over- 
written by other parts of the chart. You can 
give the chart a name as opposed to a gen- 
eral title, but in our pie chart a legend on 
one of the slices overwrote the chart name. 

The Hewlett-Packard 7475A plotter 
stubbornly resisted the tester’s best efforts 
to print the first chart, even though the con- 
figuration parameters were used. It seems 
that GraffHopper has its own implanted 
speed instruction. A call to Data Business 
Vision settled the matter with a patch made 


in Graffliopper’s command mode. 

The manual is printed in computer-out- 
put characters that have been reduced in 
size and uses underscores or uppercase let- 
ters for emphasis, but it has one nice de- 
sign feature: It presents the whole se- 
quence of unannotated, ready-made charts 
that the library comprises in numerical or- 
der. However, there's no index or trouble- 
shooting section, as we quickly discovered 
when we got lost in command mode by ac- 
cident. Since we could find no EXIT, 
QUIT, or END command in the Pocket 
Guide to commands, we used the expedi- 
ent method of returning to menu mode: re- 
boot the system and start GraffHopper 
from scratch. 

The first third of the manual describes 
how to use the command and menu 
modes, enter data, add a title, and so on. 
These instructions are direct and concise, 
telling you what to do when and why. 
However, this section is not designed to 
nurse along an absolute beginner, for 
whom an interactive tutorial demonstrat- 
ing the program's respon.ses to each com- 
mand might be more effective. 

The manual also includes about a dozen 
pages summarizing how to make the sam- 
ple charts. It lists the appropriate menu se- 
lections. their corresponding command 
words, and data and title entries and cites 
further information in the reference section 
by page number. Though this "how to” 
format is convenient, it can be frustrating, 
since all the menu path descriptions begin 
with the number zero, which is not a valid 
menu choice. Furthermore, despite the fre- 
quent references to further information by 
page number, there are no page numbers 
either in the reference section or in any oth- 
er section of the manual, except for the 
opening page of each section. Perhaps 
page numbers will be added in the prom- 
ised next release of the package, along 
with an index. In any case, this version is 
not what you should expect for $300. 

In all fairness. Data Business Vision 
says that a new version of GraffHopper 
scheduled for release soon will solve many 
of the problems we encountered. The com- 
pany's support staff was very straightfor- 
ward and helpful with the rough spots and 
has a toll-free support line. However, until 
the newer release comes out the caution 
flag is up for this one. B 


GnflHoippcrU 

Data Business Vision, Inc. 

35 10 Dunhill Street 
Suite B 

San Diego. CA 92121 
(619)450-1557 

CIRCLE 670 ON HEXPEtl SERVICE CAHO 


LIST PRICE; $295 

REQUIRES: 256K RAM, one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Cokx/Graphics, or 
compatible 

Printeiv-Epson and compalibles; IBM and 
compatibles 

Plouets-Hewleu-Packard series; Houston 
Instruments 
DOS versioits-2.0. 2. 1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutoriai-ntu 
Manuai-gtm, tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: hdk 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACILniES: pcf . 
pcd. inda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: none 

SCREEN/PMNTER/FLOTTER 

FACQJTIES: 

Hatching-aht 
Color cboice-acc. mcc 
Legend&-acl. mcl. flp 
Header line^2 
Comment lines-none 
Note linesHKme 
Comment position-mxie 
Type fonts-2 
Type font sizes-2 
Ch^ overtays-S 
Axis scaling-aas. mas 
Gfiddisplay-agd. mgd 
Tide precision-atp. mtp 
Page adjustment-none 

INFfjrSi 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 
Standard formats-ASCII 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-i6cls. 5 cgs, I6cpg.5cpg. 

aoc. moc. 3dc. nvc 
Barcharts-none 

Line charts-S Ins. I tpl, 5 Ism. spl 
Regression types-none 
Pie chaits-psi noTspecified. epv 
Text/word charts-2 fpe, 1 bts, ctx. jtx 
Gantt charts- 1 6 rog, utg 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble chaits-none 
High-low charts-16 ihl. I shl 
Surface-area charts-S Ins 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


165 




BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Draw-It 

Remarkable for the Price 


U sing Paperback Software's 
Draw-It to create business 
graphics is like trying to open a 
#10 tin can with a Swiss Army 
knife. The knife will certainly do 
the job. but it will never win a 
prize for efficiency. Likewise, 

Draw-It is a primitive program 
that forces you to use your inge- 
nuity to get the most out of its ru- 
dimentary abilities. Draw-h's 
graphs and charts do not feature 
the cleanest lines, but this pro- 
gram gets the job done and at a 
fraction of the price of other busi- oraw-ft's graphs don’t feature the cleanest lines, but the 

ness graphics packages. program gets the job done. 


Computer^Bond Incorporated 
Or gon i zo t i oroj _ CHor t 

I OIAIRHAN 

Eu 9 «n« Harr'is 


I PRES I DENT ' 

'^eynour SMith' 


UICE PRESIDENTS 


L , . _ - J- 

r FINANCE ' j^SALES A MTKg I I OPERATIONS I 
.MCK BiJIinghOM] l_ ,>orV) WilliOM* I 


Ir&trurments Used With Midi 

As of January, 1985 



Source: American Music As-soc i a't i on 

1934 Market- Surveg 
Courtessj AMA 


166 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE M, 1985 





Before you buy a personal com- 
puter for your business you should 
ask yourself two essential questions. 
One: What Ho you need today? Two: 
What will you need tomorrow? 

The AT&T PC 6300 is the answer 
to both. Tbday, you’ll get a high per- 
formance computer that’s competi- 
tively priced. A computer that not 
only runs the broadest selection of 
software available, but has the power 
and speed to make the most of it. A 
computer with superb graphics in 
monochrome or color. And a high reso- 
lution screen that’s easy on the eyes. 

For tomorrow, you’ll get a com- 
puter with the future built in. With its 
modular architecture and seven expan- 


sion slots, it’s ready now to work with 
future technology, and meet your 
future needs. From addition^ power 
to multi-tasking capabilities, even to 
features yet to come, it can be easily 
enhanced as time goes by. 


’That’s a commitment from AT&T. 
And the AT&T PC, the computer with 
the future built in. 

For more information, call your 
AT&T Account Executive, visit an 
authorized AT&T dealer, or call 
1-800-247-1212. 


ATfiiT 

The right choice. 










GENOA Spectrum . . . 

runs color (and monochrome) software 

on either color or monochrome monitors I 


business 


FiiQht Simulator 


Graphics 




Right Slmukjtoi 


Run IBM and Plantronics color 
programs In either color or mono- 
chrome and hove the best features 
for a lot less. 

Fully compatible with IBM color ond monochrome software 
plus all Plantronics colot graphics and popular Hercules 
graphics. 

Run color software on monochrome monitor In 16 shades, 
all in full screen. 

High resolution graphics. 720 x 348 on IBM monochrome 
monitor. 

132 column text In both color and morxx:hiome mode. 

1 Year Full Warranty 

Every unit is thoroughly tested before shipping and our 
warranty includes both parts and labor. 


Compare The Genoa Spectrum Before You Buy! 








l00%CompotlMe 
ml IBM mono 

Displav Adopter 



1^ 



OropMc* rMokiHon 
on IBM mono 

720x348 

1^ 





noMrantes 
color oropTtlcs 
eomp^Me 






132-col monotexi 
132-001 color 
text 




mono 

only 


lesrtodes color 
emutonononmorw 
monNor. 320 x 200 

1^ 

I/' 




Stondord prlMor 
port 




r/* 

v' 

Price 

$459 

$395 

$499 

$499 

$559 


See your local dealer or call 
toll free for details. 

1-(800) 325-0874 Outside Calif. 
(800) 824-8372 Inside Calif. 

Dealer Inquiries Invited. 

See us at Comdex/Atkmta 
Booth 5208 


73 E. Trimble Road • San Jose, CA 95131 
(408)945-9720 

1 lB4B«wrtWOiiiii»ii .niaO M.R3»o(WBUodulgGKWicsCgq-Pt»oda>9YS>Brns.HBrcUBsGfg|)hc$-Hara<B5ConipuWtBcftno<ogy.Lo^ 

GnyitiicsUasief - lecmar.inc. Spectrum. Gefm - Gfovo Systems Corp. IBM - IntemdaridBusressMacrwie&HiolitSmBotor - MoosonOorp. PC Ftel - Mouse Systems Corp 

ORCLE 238 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



Genoa 

SYSTEMS CORPORATION 


Also from Genoa S/stems 


Gemini. ..the one graphics board that does the work of two. 


Combines oil the feotures of the 
IBM Color Graphics Adopter with 
dl the features of the Hercules 
Graphics Cord, mdudtng poraflel 
printer interfoce. corrtposite video 
output, rbeker-free dtspioy. 64K 
screen merrtory (vs 4Kor 16Km 
IBM). You get both color and mono- 
chrome odoptobility n one slot 
ot very subsiontioi sovmgs' 


IBM Color/Graphics Adapter 
S244 ^ 

^laitiiiNniiHMii 





Hercules Graphics Sard 
S499 


Genoa Gemini 
$449 


'lal 








BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Draw-U displays remaikable sophisti- 
cation for its low price. The drawing pan 
of the program uses a series of menu in- 
structions to manipulate a Logo-like pen. 
You make all drawing movements with the 
cursor control and function keys; mouse 
control is also available as an add-on. 

With the drawing component of the 
program, you can create such primitives as 
circles, boxes, and ovals, type text, and 
create free-form polygons; you also have 
access to more-complex drawing options, 
including copying, scaling, rotation, and 
reflection. As in MacPaint, you can zoom 
in to work on a detailed area of your draw- 
ing, and you can use the program's "step- 
size" feature to draw dotted lines. Draw-li 
also offers souped-up facilities for import- 
ing data and screen images from other pro- 
grams. 

You enter the graph component 
through a submenu . The program asks you 
to choose either a pie, a bar. or a line for- 
mat and define the x and y axes. Humor- 
ously, even Draw-li's pie charts have de- 
fined X and y axes; hence, you create a pie 
by making the y axis equal to 0. You can 
enter up to 100 data pairs, and the entry 
process is surprisingly flexible. You can 
insert and edit data pairs, define minimum 
and maximum axis values, and display the 
graph in one of two sizes. 

While you're defining graphs, the pro- 
gram prompts you to enter the title and axis 
labels. However, these labels do not ap- 
pear on your graph. You must re-enter the 
Draw program once the graph is created 
and manually enhance your work using the 
Text option. You can place labels any- 
where on the screen, using the program's 
seven text sizes and two text orientations. 
Nonstandard text sizes reproduce very 
poorly on the display screen. 

A Jurying Operation 

Sometimes you have to be creative to 
get the job done with Draw-ll. The meth- 
ods are crude, but 1 found ways to get 
around almost all of Draw-lt's limitations. 
For example, you can fill in thin-looking 
text by entering the zoom mode to patch 
things up. In the graphing mode, the 
graphs display only the minimum and 
maximum axis labels; however, if you en- 
ter the drawing mode, you can manually 
insert the other tick labels. In addition, if 


you have sufficient patience, you can even 
draw elaborate legends and labels and in- 
clude pictorial icons in the drawing mode. 

The program executes graphs slowly, 
and the results often contain broken lines, 
especially in the pie charts. If you don't 
"eyeball" the broken lines, you'll find 
your “fills" running all over the graphs. 
To create a double-axis chart, you create 
two individual charts and try to superim- 
pose them. You have to erase each axis 
and recreate it to make it fit. The Sistine 
Chapel could have been painted in the time 
it takes to enter the axis by hand. In other 
words, while little "doctorings" improve 
things, the process takes a long time. In the 
final analysis, you can't do very much 
about the overall look of these graphs. The 
jaggies are omnipresent, and the visual im- 
pact is “computer checkbook" modem. 


Humorously, even 
Draw-lt's pie 
charts have x and 
y axes; hence, you 
create a pie chart 
by making the y 
axis equal to 0. 

Colorful Displays 

The program displays three palettes of 
four colors, but you print the graphs by us- 
ing the screen-dump facilities in black and 
white only. While Draw-lt limits you to 
three graph selections, you can create oth- 
er business graphics, such as organization- 
al charts, Gantt charts, and flow charts, in 
the drawing mode. 

One of Draw-lt's strongest features is 
its data-capture capability. You can import 
data in ASCII or Numberworks (Paper- 
back Software’s spreadsheet) format into 
Draw-lt. In addition, Draw-lt's SAVE- 
SCREEN utility program captures screen 
images from other programs. 

Draw-lt's abilities are simple, but if 
you use its basic building blocks, you can 
achieve results. Certainly, its not a realistic 
program for you if you have heavy de- 
mands, but it is an entry-level “toy” that 
can introduce you to business graphics. ■ 


Draw-lt L6 

Paperback Software Intematioiial 
2612 Eighth St. 

Bcrkeley.CA 94710 
(415)644-8248 

CIRCLE 676 ON REACCBSERVK^E CATO 


LIST PRICE: S29.9S (add $ 1 0 for noncopy- 
protected disk or $5 for backup disk) 

REQUIRES: I92K RAM, one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boafds-lBM Color/Gfaphics. Paradise 
Modular, Paradise Multidisplay. PUntronics 
Gjlorplus 

IMnters-any Epson Graftrax or IBM Gi^ihics 
con^Mdble 
Ploners-none 

DOS versions-2.0, 2. 1 , 3.0 
Other operating systems-^xme 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-ids, tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: hdk 

(XNERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: pcf , 

pcd 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACILmES: none 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FACIUTIES; 

Hatching-mht 
Color choice-mcc 
Legends-ncl 
Header lines-8 
Omunent lines-8 
Note lines-8 
Comment position-none 
Typefonts-2 
Type f<N)t sizes-8 
Chart overlays-not»e 
Axis scaltng-aas 
Grid display-^gd 
Tick precision-ntp 
Page adjustment-none 

INPUTS: 

Souice»-ikb, iff 

Graphics formats-BSaved screens 
Standard formats-ASCII. Paperback Software 
Products 

CHART TYPES; 

Column charts- too els, noc 
Bar chaits-none 
Linechart»-1 Ins. 100 ppl, 1 tpi 
Regression types-rxme 
Kecharts-lOOpsl. 

Text/wwd charts-none 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts- 1 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 


169 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


DR Graph 


Feature Attractions: Math Coprocessor and GSX 


D esigned to produce common 
business graphs, DR Graph has 
one uncommon feature: it uses an 
8087 math coprocessor chip. DR 
Graph comes in both a standard 
version and a version using the 
8087 or its AT equivalent, the 
80287. Though the standard ver- 
sion is fast in its own right, the 
8087/80287 version takes off like 
a rocket. The sample chart pro- 
vided with the package plott^ to 
the screen in 6.2 seconds without 
the math chip, but in only 2.4 
seconds with it. In fact, DR 
Graph calculated the graphs so 


•/She 

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ou 

Ma 

er 

TC 

Ba 
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nd 

los 

Co 

nn 

mi 
9 ^ 

nc 

Vi 

n 

St 

*s 

ock 







ft 

V 

•TFMTWTF 


OR Graph allows a great deal of modification to ttw output 
created by Ha graphic formats. 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 
As of January, 1985 



Guitar 20 


•«ura»: 


AMTiosn Mua&e AMoeistien 
IMA Market aurvay 
Courtasy AMA 


by CDaputbrSantf 
Wrkbtlng ObbTfc— ot 
U T o b. lasB 


170 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE H. 1985 


Dac-easy accounting 

$ 49.95 

■ Introductory Price 

The software revolution of the year! 


All 7 complete modules on I 
disk! Compare our features 
with other packages costing 
thousands more! 


General 


•Menu Driven •Fully Integrated 
•MS-DOS* PC-DOS 
•RUNS ON PCjr, PC. XT. AT. AND 
COMPATIBLES 

•Password Protection In All Programs 
•SUpcased Binder 

•OVER 300 DIFFERENT REPORTS!! 
•OVER 90 ROUTINES!! 

•File Capacity Limited Only By Disk Space 
•Service Contract Available 
•ONLY $49.95 FOR ALL 7 MODULES 
•Money Back Guarantee 


General Ledger 

•Double Entry •Unlimited # Of Accounts 
•Multi-Level Accounting 
•Unlimited Departments 
•3 Year Account History For CRT Inquiry 
•Pencil & Pen Feature To Correct Mistakes 
Without Reverse Entries 
•UNIQUE Budgeting Routine (See Forecasting) 
•CRT Voucher Inquiry 

•All Repons Compared to Last Year or Budget 
•Unlimited Journals 


Accounts Receivable 

•Open Item or Balance Forward 
•7 Customized Columns For Aging Repon 
•Unlimited tf Of Customers 
•Mailing Labels With 4 Different Sons 
•Automatic Finance Charges 
•Suppons Partial Payments •Directories 
•3 Year Customer History for # Of Invoices, 
Sales. Costs, And Profits 
•Customized Text On Statements 
•Cash Flow Analysis •Sales Analysis 
•Automatic Sales Forecasting By Customer, 
Salesntan. Or Customer Type 


Accounts Payable 

•Check Printing •Automatic Allocation Of 
Available Cash To Payables 
•Vendor Directories With Sorting By Vendor 
Code, Name, Or Territory 
•Aging Reports With 7 Customized Columns 
•Unlimited I Of Vendors 
■Mailing Labels ^3 Year Vendor History For 
CRT Inquiry And Printing 
•Flexible Payment Calendar 
•Automatic Forecasting of Purchases 
•Unlimited Allocations Per Invoice 
•Up To 10 Invoices Paid Per Check 


Inventory 

•Supports Average, Last Purchase. And Standard 
Costing Methods •Physical Inventory 
•Accepts Any Measure Units Per Case Like 
Fractions/Dozens/Gross/Etc 
•Automatic Changing Of Costing Methods 
•Time And Product Inventory 
•3 Year Product History In Units, Dollars. Cost. 
And Profits 

•Automatic Forecast Of Product Sales 
•Automatic Pricing Assignments 
•Alert And Activity Reports With 1 1 Sorts 
•CRT Shows On-Hand/On-Order/ 
Committed/Sales/Cost/Profit/Tums/GROI 


Purchase Order 

•Allows Up To 99 Lines Per Purchase Order 
•Per Line Discount In ^ 

•Purchase Order Accepts Generic 
Discounts/Freight/Taxes/Insurance 
•Purchase Order Accepts Back Orders & Returns 
•Purchase Journal 

•Automatic Interfacing With General Ledger, 
Payables. And Inventory 


Billing 

•Invoicing On Plain Or Pre-Printed Forms 
•Prints Sales Journal 

•Automatic Updating Of Committed Products In 
Inventory 

•Ability To Customize Invoice For Remarks 
•Allows Return Credit Memo 


•Interfaces With Inventory, Accounts Receivable 
And General Ledger 


Forecasting 

•Unique program that automatically forecasts 
using your 3 year history 
•Forecast Revenue And Expense Accounts 
•Forecast Vendor Purchases 
•Forecast Customer Sales. Cost. And Profit By 
Customer Or Salesperson 
•Forecast Inventory Item Usage By 4 Automatic 
Methods 

•Forecast By Same As Last Year, Or Base 
From Last Year. Or Trend. 

Or Least Square Trend Line Analysis Method 


Minimum Hardware Requirements: 

I2SK memory, one 5 1/4 DSDD (loppy disk. 132 
column printer. 80X24 CRT. MS-DOS. PC DOS 
2.0 or later. 

Runs on your: ibm (PCjr/PC/XT/AT), 
AT&T, EPSON. TANDY (1000/1200/2000). TI, 
COMPAQ. CORONA. SANYO, COLUMBIA, 
ETC.* 

•(Computer names are iradenames and/or (rademarki of 
their respective manufacturers) 


To Order Call Toll Free: 

1 - 800 - 431-0800 

ASK FOR OPERATOR 353 
For More Info Call: 

( 214 ) 458-0038 

Money-Back Gaarantee: Before you spend 
thousands of dollars on an accounting system, try 
dac-etsy accounting, and if you are not fully 
satisfied, return it. For $49.95 you owe it to 
yourself to find out that software doesn't have to 
be expensive to be the best. 



dac software, inc. 5580 Peterson, Suite 130, Dallas, TX 75240 

$49.95 plus $7.50 postage and handling Texas residents add 6 1/8 Vs sales tax ($3.06) Credit 
card members can order by phone. Enclose check or money order with coupon. $7.00 for 
C.O.D. 

□CHECK DMONEY ORDER DCOD DVISA GMASTERCARD GAMEX 
ACCOUNT NO EXPIRES 


wftwQfe. 


I 

k. 


City 


Zip 


Signature 




aRCLE 148 ON READER SERVICE CARO 




If you don’t have a 
Hercules Graphics Card, you could 
end up looking like this: 


“I know, because one day it hap- 
pened to me... 

“I was running some routine 
tests on a non-Hercules mono- 
chrome graphics card when I 
was struck by a severe case 
of law resolutianitis. I’m the 
president of Hercules and 
that’s me exhibiting the 
symptoms of the disease 
in its advanced stages. Not 
a pretty sight, is it? 

“What causes low res- 
olutionitis? Experts point 
to ordinary monochrome 
graphics cards with 
coarse, hard-to-read 
graphics. A bad case of eyestrain may 
develop if action is not taken immediately. 

“Fortunately for me, a Hercules Graphics 
Card was nearby. A quick change brought 
soothing 720 x 348 graphics. That’s twice 
the resolution of ordinary 640 x 200 graph- 
ics cards. 

“Which means better graphics for 
Lotus” 1-2-3? Symphony? Framework? 
pfs:Graph,' Microsoft’ Chart and Word, 
SuperCalc3: AutoCad? and dozens of 
other programs. 

“Including Microsoft Flight Simulator, 
now Hercules compatible! 

“Oh, and don’t forget that a parallel 
printer port is standard on the Hercules 
Graphics Card, not an extra cost option. 

“Now, if you’re worried about buying 
a new product that hasn’t had all the bugs 


worked out, relax. Hercules has 
sold more monochrome graphics 
cards for the IBM‘PC,XT" and AT” 
than anyone else in the world. 

“So. . . you’re convinced that 
you should buy a Hercules 
Graphics Card. Now, steer 
clear of cheap imitations. 
You may save a few bucks, 
but you won’t get all of 
these five essential features 
which only Hercules has: 

1) A safety switch that 
helps prevent damage to 
your monitor, 2) the 
ability to keep a Hercules 
Color Card in your 
system, 3) the ability to use the PC’s BASIC 
to do graphics, 4) a Hercules designed chip 
that eliminates 30% of the parts that can go 
wrong, and 5) a two year warranty, because 
we think reliability is something you should 
deliver and not just talk about.” 

“Call 1-800-532-0600 Ext 400 for the 
name of the Hercules dealer nearest you 
and we’ll rush you our free info kit. 


Hercules. 

We’re strong on graphics. 


Address: 2560 Ninth St., Berkeley, CA 94710 Ph: 640-6000 Telex: 754063 Trademark /Owners: Hercules/Hercules Computer Tech; IBM, XT, AT/IBM: Lotus 1-2-3, 
Symphony/Lotus Development: Framework/ Ashton- Tate; Microsoft /Microsoft; pfs:Craph/Soaware Publishing; SuperCalc3/Sorcim-IUS; AutoCad/AutoDesk. 


CIRCLE 145 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


fast that it finished them before my video 
card could switch into graphics mode: The 
charts “popped” onto the screen! 

Another unusual aspect of DR Graph is 
that it runs under Digital Research's 
Graphics System Extension (GSX). DRl 
originally developed GSX as a common 
framework for interfacing graphics appli- 
cations packages to the CP/M operating 
system and to peripherals such as plotters, 
graphics printers, and mice. In making a 
PC-DOS version of DR Graph, DRI has 
included GSX in the package. It is invoked 
from a batch file, so its presence is nearly 
transparent to the user. 

DR Graph is a menu-driven program 
that uses predefined graphics formats. 
Like the Peachtree Business Graphics Sys- 
tem that it resembles in many respects, DR 
Graph allows quite a bit of modification to 
the output created by the formats. 

The program can produce line, bar, 
clustered bar, stacked bar, and pie charts. 
It can also create a step chart, which looks 
like an outline of a bar chart, and a stick 
chart, which resembles a bar chart but has 
lines instead of bars. Scatter and word- 
only charts are also in its repertoire. 

DR Graph readily imports data in DIF 
and SDF file formats, then uses screen 
forms to specify the data and to describe 
the chart to be plotted. DR Graph allows 
only two-line chart titles and short axis la- 
bels, but it gives you full control over font 
selection, character size, and color. 

With DR Graph you can position leg- 
ends anywhere on a chart. However, un- 
like some graphics programs, this is not an 
interactive process in which you place the 
cursor on the text and then pull the text 
across the screen with the cursor. Instead, 
you go through a two-part, menu-driven 
process using the cursor keys or one of 
three popular mouse devices. Displaying 
the graph from the “Additional Curve Edit 
Menu" and using a special graphics cur- 
sor, you position the cursor where you 
would like to locate the legend, press a key 
to transmit these coordinates, then display 
the graph again to make sure you’ve posi- 
tioned the legend to your satisfaction. 

DR Graph also includes a really fine 
mechanism for combining up to four 
charts on one output screen or plot; you can 
save this multiple-chart layout as a sepa- 
rate entity and reuse it. The program also 


checks to make sure that all the charts in 
the layout exist. 

Using the screen forms was straightfor- 
ward, and it was necessary to refer to the 
manual for explanations of some of the less 
common terms only once or twice. 

Installing DR Graph is easy and fast, al- 
though there are a few “gotchas” in the 
documentation. The manual is a brand 
new version prepared specifically for the 
PC-DOS operating system. Unfortunate- 
ly, it is both less attractive and less com- 
plete than the old CP/M manual, and there 
is no on-screen help system — an omission 
that DRI should remedy. 

What's worse, significant information 
is simply missing. For example, there is no 
indication of how to set any of the support- 
ed plotters. The manual says, “Certain de- 
vices, such as the Hewlett-Packard 7470A 
or 7475A Graphics Plotter, require special 
adjustments. Refer to your hardware de- 
vice documentation for assistance.” The 
H-P manual is going to tell me what baud 
rate DR Graph wants? This guarantees 
frustration for the new owner and can re- 
sult in expensive phone calls to California 
for DRl's technical support. 

Once you determine the correct com- 
munications parameters for the plotter, in- 
stalling it is simple. An excellent menu- 
driven utility makes it easy to choose the 
screen option, plotter, and printer you are 
going to use. DR Graph supports an inter- 
esting assortment of video choices, includ- 
ing the Hercules monochrome graphics 
board and the superb Artist color graphics 
board. It supports an ample number of 
printers and plotters but not as many as 
some other graphics programs. 

DR Graph drove a Hewlett-Packard 
7475 plotter noticeably faster than many 
other graphics programs did. The quality 
of the hard-copy output was good, with ex- 
cellent coverage in fhlly shaded areas. The 
new Version 1 .5 of DR Graph includes a 
new driver for the H-P plotters that pro- 
vides close correspondence between 
screen and plotted images. Owners of the 
older D/f Graph are urged to upgrade. 

DR Graph boasts a well-thought-out 
user interface and very high speed in the 
8087 version. While the program clearly 
could use additional development, it has 
the potential to reach the very top ranks of 
business graphics packages . ■ 


DRGnphLS 

Digital Research, liK. 
60 Garden Court 
Monterey, CA 93942 
(408)649-3896 


CIRCCE 669 ON HEADER SERVICE CABO 


UST PRICE: $293 
REQUIRES: 2S6K . two disk drives 

SUFFOKTS: 

Video boards-lBM O^or/Graphics or 3270, 
Plantronics Color Plus, Hercules Graphics, 
Aitist2 

Printers-IBM Gnq)hics: Epson FX, MS: 
DiabloC150;OkidataM84,C. ItohSSlOA; 
Centronics 3S 1 , 352, 353; Anadex DP- 
9001 A. 9501 A. %25A; Datasouth DS 180: 
DEC LAIOO, LA50, IDS Prism; 
Maruiesmann Talley MT160; Printitxux 
Plotters-Hewlett-Packard 7470A. 7475A; 
Strobe 100, 200, 260; Houston Instruments 
DMP29, DMP40 
DOS versions->2.0. 2. 1 , 3.0 
Odier operating systems-^KXie 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manuai-gtm, idx, tcs 

COPVFROTECnONt ncp 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACmilES: 

pcf.pcd 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACILniE& none 

SCREENnUNTER/PLOTTER 

FACnUIESc 

Hatching-aht, mht 

Color choice-acc, mcc 

Legords-acl, mcl, vtp 

Header lines-2 

Conunent linefr-unlimiled 

Note lines-unlimited 

Omment position-vcp 

Typefonts^ 

Type font sizes- 100 
Chart overlays-none 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Grid disfday-mgd 
Tick precision-atp, mtp 
Page adjustment-hva 

INFUTS: 

Sources-ikb, ims 

Gr^)hics formats-iKme 

Standard formats-ASCn. SYLX, DIF, SDF 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-375 cIs, 5 cgs, 5 cpg, 5 ssc, noc, 
nvc, npc 

Bar char^375 bis, 5 bgs, 5 bpg, 5 ssb. nob. 
nvb, npb 

Line chaits-5 Ins, 75 ppl, 5 tpl, 5 Ism, vtl, 
usm. sll.fll.spl 
Regresskm types-none 
Pie charts- 1 6 psl, Ibeps, ppv, apv.epv 
Text/word charts-4 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-^ione 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts-5 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


173 


NETWORK 


BUY HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE AT WHOLESALE + 8%, 
AND GET 1 4-30 DAY SOFTWARE RENTALS^ . . 


In just the last few months, The NETWORK has 
saved its members more than $24,000,000 and 
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at our EVERYDAY LOW PRICES! All software below is priced in 
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The nation's largest corporations depend on 
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On our corporate roster are some of the nation’s largest 
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of the most Important names In the computer Industry: 

General Motors 


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Columbia University 
Data Genera/ 

Exxon 

Farm Bureau Insurance 
Frontier Airlines 
General Mills 
General Electric 


Gillette 

Hewlett Packard 

Hughes Aircraft 

IBM 

ITT 

Kodak 

Multimate 

United Nations 

Yale University 

Veteran's Administration 


plus thousands of satisfied consulting firms, small businesses, 
user groups, municipalities, government ager>cies and value- 
wise individuals ACROSS THE NATION! Their buyers know 
that purchasing or renting from PC NETWORK saves them 
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PERSONAL COMPUTER NETWORK 
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CaN new . . . Join the PC NETWORK and etarl saving tedayt 


PRICING MADNESS 

Once again, as Federal Express picks up our ad at the 
very last millisecond before this issue's advertising 
deadline, here we 9ft with dozens of price reduc- 
tions end new product announcemenfs which 
have arrived too late for us to let you know. 

Why, our ad manager asks, do we always go through a 
last rTtinute price update frenzy, just secortds before 
our ad is due at ^e publisher, wh^ we know that de- 
spite our heroic effort, many of these products will 
cost even less by the time you reed this ed. 

How, she asks, can we get a crystal ball to forecast 
what fantastic promotions and specials our suppliers 
are going to offer from now to the date this ad ^ta to 
the newsstand over two months from today? 

Well, we decided that she has a good point. While we'll 
still keep getting our grey hairs and ulcers from last 
minute revisions, we will start publishing this notice and 
ask our readers to make a simple chrck. Look at any 
four back issues of this magazine fyes we’re in every 
one) and track the prices on the most popular products. 
You will see that many drop with every Isaue. Most 
of these price changes were instituted well before the 
issue was printed and our members always pay the 
tower price. This should prove that this notice is much 
more than hype. 

Given the current madness in the PC industry with its 
spur of the moment pricing and Instant product in- 
troductions. you will find It ahveys pays to call for 
our latest prices. You will be glad you did. 




JOIN BY THE FOURTH OF 
JULY AND GET ONE OF 
THE FOLLOWING FREE or 
SPECIALLY PRICED ITEMS 

Mfith any Regular Membership choose one of 
the following: 

• Get One FREE Diskette 

• Buy a Copy II PC for $1 4.81 * (2.50) and be able to back up your 

protected software. 

With Any VIP or Regular Business Rental 
Membership choose one of the followingi 

• Buy a 64K Memory Upgrade Kit for $4.62* (1.00) (Limit 1 set) 

• Buy a Box of Diskettes for $9.26* (1.00) (Limit 1 0 boxes) 

• Buy a copy of Borland's Sidekick for $1 8.52* (2.50) (Limit 1 ) 

• Get a FREE rental of any title in our GAME library!! 

With Any VIP Rental Membership: 

Choose any one of the above or one of 
the following: 

• Get 50% off the rental of any title in our BUSINESS library!! 

• Buy an Autobooting 1 12 height 1 0mb Hard Disk upgrade for an 

IBM PC with drive, controller, ceibles and instructions — 

1 year warranty for $425.00* (11.00) (Limit 1 ) 

• Get a FREE box of 10 diskettes (I.OO) 

• Buy one 64K Memory Upgrade at the normal price and buy 
1 set for $1.00 (Limit 1) 

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF YOUR 
SAVINGS AS A NETWORK MEMBERII 

'You pay this price *8% under the terms of this limitecl time offer. You must be a new member and 
ioinbyJuiy4, 1985. You may piece your wder for tite above aithe time you or you will receive a 
certificate redeemable at any time wNfe you are a member for tiie special prices^giveaway 
merchandise listed above ...Ati prices rwect a cash discount card users add 3%, make sure to add 
the shipping charges s/iotvo in pventhesis next to item when you order. . . Happy Computingl 


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YES! Please enroll me as a member in the PC NETWORK^ and send rny catalog featuring 
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aleo periodically receive "THE PRINTOl/T". 

BELO 

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also periodically receive "THE PRINTOUT", a special up-date on merchandise at prices 
LOW even those in my wholesale catalog, and all the other exclusive, money-saving 


I am ur>der no obligation to buy anything. My complete satisfaction is guaranteed. I j 

Please check (»^) all boxes that apply: A12B I 1 

• Basic Memberehtp • Special V.I.P. Membership 

with 14 Day Rentals With 30 Day Rentals 

□ One-year membership for $8 □ One-year membership for $15 

□ Two-year membership for $15 (SAVE $1) □ TWo-year membership for $25 (SAVE $5) 

□ Business Software Rental Library for □ BOTH Bus in e ss and Qama Software 

$25 add’l. per year — n^tembers only Renttf Ubrartee for $30 add’l. 

O Games Software Rental Library tor per year — V.I.P. members only 

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aty 

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Signature 


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your Catalog is never obsolete! Keep on top of the 
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2GSS — Z 


COMPLETE ISM " PC SYSTEMS 


NETWORK 


IBM PC BASE SYSTEM 

IBMPCW/256K 

FiOPPr Df'. t- ' .(.>■ '"C ' 

2 Dout)!c Sinr-'j Do..;yr D---: -.- 

lOAL-^t CO‘j^ ‘j'.'i't l!P ‘ • 'C' ;f • 'J, 
rr'P,'' 'O'S Video COTJS l c.'! 

r;K‘Nt’'.‘.cnKc.v\L-t;p“y. 

IBM PC PROFESSIONAL 
HARD DISK SYSTEM 
IBM PC W/256K 

F/copy Dr<vc 

'< Do.iO'e S'Jed Dd'.P'f Jr. 'i'.',', .-20 . 

w HaU Height Disk Subsystem 

HaltHv'(iHf 10MBr)^:rA\..-.' '(.iO'' 
iQr Aad'hO') ^/pc fi./r. Ai,p ir PQ' 
f ' /('fits X J 

Au^crT,atiC //iJ.'r/.O S'. Bi-; (//•■.}/!;''• 


$1,495.02* (32.55) 


$1 ,906.62* (42.87) 



Increase p-odjci .::v ■ 

esm naies cutv.t,.,-'Sdf c 
speeds p'ocrar:- e«ec-.,; 
than XT pcr’o'mancp a: . 


ess Of li";lt'SSiO'-jl Ljai'On Tne '• i. IWU f ’.ird di-.> 

> cr'.Tfujt.-s ST : e\T e d ■ if.ir-..,- 1 y 

.';r ! tVwf'if': j 0.,,' •- ; py p'l. . .!•:■ i yo.j Ailn peno' 

’.O' if'an '.ou d e*pcc' :o f’d, if a s’a'- aaru PC 


‘PC Network Members pay just 8% above this wholesale price plus shipping. 
These prices have been prepared in April, 1 985 and may have been changed 
with new product announcements. Call for latest prices. 




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64K MEMORY EXPANSION KITS $ 1 3.05* 

Set of 9 chips Guaranteed /or U/e. Quantity Discounts Available. 

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Just like our hard disks featured above. The Network buy's direct and makes 
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FX-80 80COL 160CPS 31 9.00* 

FX-100132COL160CPS 453.00* 

|> AST SIX-PACK PLUS w/64K 222.00* 

Fantastic Price!!! 

[> EVEREX MAGIC CARD/64K 160.00* 

Full six Pack Features— Game Port included Extra Software 
Fanrasiic Price!!! 

HAYES 1200B 325.92* 

tvifh new Smartcom lIVTIOOEmulator 

[>[ BRAND NAME DISKETTES 14.00* 

DSODBoxoflO Guaranteed for Life Nof Generic 

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CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-62 1-S-A-V-E 

In Illinois call (31 2) 280*0002 validation code A1 26 
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to OPTIONAL GAME SOFTWARE RENTAL LIBRARY — 

57 The Game Rental library is avaiiabU? to mombr'i.s ti.i $10 
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game or educational software product as above 

4 n SPECIAL SAVINGS BULLETINS— THE PRINTOUT 

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changes you need to keep your Catalog up to uatc Also, we buy 
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4 A DISCOUNT BOOK LIBRARY— Working with numerous 
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NETWORK will credit a cash bonus to your account applicable to 
any future purchase. 

I CORPORATE ACCOUNT PROGRAM— Almost 50% of 


13 


The NETWORK'S members are corporate buyers and users 
NETWORK can establish open 


(see opposite page left). The 
account status and assign designated account managers to ex- 
p^ite orders, and coordinate multiple location shipments. 


A A QUANTITY DISCOUNTS — For large corporations, clubs. 
I ^ and repeat or quantity buyers The fsfETWORK can extend 
additional single order discounts, when available to us from our 
manufacturers and distributors. 

A C PRICE PROTECTION— The PC Industry is crazy!! Prices 
I w change not yearly or monthly or even weekly but often day 
by day! These changes are sometimes up but are mostly down!!! 

THE NETWORK GUARANTEES THAT IN THE EVENT OF A 
PRODUCT PRICE REDUCTION, BETWEEN THE TIME YOU 
PLACE YOUR ORDER AND THE TIME THE PRODUCT SHIPS 
YOU WILL ONLY PAY THE LOWER AMOUNT!! 

CIRCLE 535 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Condor Graf 


Covers a Lot of Ground in Two Steps 


C ondor Graf, from Condor Com- 
puter Corp., is a program that 
tries to be all things to most peo- 
ple. It produces a complete line 
of analytical business graphs, 
imports data in no fewer than ten 
different formats, and supports 
over 50 different printers and 
plotters. Its charts are excellent. 
To it off, the program comes 
on orily two disks, including all 
the device drivers, with room to 
spate. 

Condor Graf accepts data in a 
variety of formats including Con- 
dor, dBASE, probase databases. 



Condor Qrat doesn’t allow you to choose font style, but 
the default letter Is clear and bold. 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 
As of January, 1985 


I Keyboard 



Source: Anerlcan Huslc Association 
1984 Market Survey 

Courtesy AMA { 

Prepared by Coaputerband Inc.j 
Marketing D ept. March, ises 


178 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE II. 1985 



Alloy makes your PC 
multi-user. 


Introducing Alloy’s PC-SLAVE/16. The multi-user PC 
strategy that doesn’t require additional PCs. 


PC-SLAVE/16 transforms your IBM PC into a 
multi-user, multi -processor system with 
shared data access and communication be- 
tween users. All you need is a dumb terminal 
and a PC-SLAVE/16 board for each user. 

And with Alloy’s PC-X BUS, you can add up 
to 31 users. So whether you’re adding your 
secretary or 31 colleagues. Alloy’s PC-SLAVE/ 
16 can do it at a much lower cost and with 
higher performance. 


For any system requiring more than one 
PC, PC-SLAVE/16 is more powerful and less 
expensive. Each board comes complete with 
its own 8 MHz, 8088 micro processor and 
dedicated memory. PC-SLAVE/16 eliminates 
the need to add costly PCs. And it is ten times 
faster than LANs (Local Area Networks) at 
half the cost. Best of all, it’s available right 
now. See PC-SLAVE/16 in action at your local 
dealer. Or call Alloy today at (617) 875-6100. 


ALLOV 

Ccxupuler Producfs, Inc. 

Alloy Computer Products. Inc., 100 Pennsylvania Avenue, Framingham, Massachusetts 0I70L (617) 875-6100, TWX: 710-346-0394 
In Europe: Alloy Computer Products (Europe) Ltd., Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. 7^1: 0285-68709, Tlx: 43340 


CnCLE 201 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



Compare the 
Hercules CoIot Card 
to IBM’s. 

Five reasons why the Hercules Color Card is better. 



IBM Color Adapter $244 Hercules Color Card $245 


1. Compatibility Runs hundreds of graphics 
programs. 


Runs the same hundreds of 
graphics programs. “The 
Hercules Color Card is so nearly 
identical to the IBM Color/ 
Graphics Card that it’s almost 
uncanny.” PC Mag. 


2. Printer port. None. 


3. Size. 


13.25 inches. Limited to long 
slots. 


Standard. Our parallel port 
allows you to hook up to any IBM 
compatible printer. 

5.25 inches. Fits in a long or short 
slot in a PC, XT, AT or Portable. 


4. Flexibility. Can’t always work with a 
Hercules Graphics Card. 


Always works with a Hercules 
Graphics Card by means of a 
software switch. 


5. Warranty. 90 days. 


Two years. 


Any one of these five features is enough reason to buy a Hercules Color Card. But 
perhaps the most convincing reason of all is just how easy the Hercules Color Card is to 
use: “Right out of the box, the Hercules Color Card goes into an empty expansion slot, 
ready for you to plug in . . . and go to work — no jumpers, no software. For most 
applications, it’s just that easy.” PC Magazine. 

Call 1-800-532-0600 Ext. 420 for the name of the Hercules dealer nearest you and 
we’ll rush you our free info kit. tt i 

Hercules. 

We’re strong on graphics. 


Addreu: Hercules, 2550 Ninth St. Berkeley, CA 94710 Ph: 415 540-6000 Telex: 754063 Trademarlu/Owners: Hercules/Hercules Computer Technology: IBM/IBM. 

CIRCLE IM ON READER SERVICE CARO 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


DIF, CalcStar, Profit Plan, SuperCatc, 
SYLK, SDI, and comma-separated. It 
comes not only in a DOS version, but in 
CP/M-86 and CP/M-80 versions as well. 
With its command language, you can pro- 
gram Condor Graf to print overlaid charts, 
create batch jobs, and otherwise manipu- 
late your chart files. 

Give Me Two Steps 

You create a chart in two steps: com- 
pose and draw. During the composition 
step, you select the type of chart you want 
and enter the chart titles and axis labels. 
This selection is accomplished by going 
through three preliminary menus before 
you arrive at the chart composition screen. 
Once there, you can select any of 13 op- 
tions for entering color and chart type and 
defining borders, titles, legends, floating 
labels, axis characteristics, ticks and grids, 
and specific graph characteristics. Each 
option you choose brings up an additional 
screen of options. Titles can be centered, 
flush left, or flush tight in Condor Graf, 
otherwise the program positions every- 
thing on the chart for you. You cannot se- 
lect font sizes or styles, but the default 
block lettering is nice and bold. Although 
some of the screens are jammed with infor- 
mation, cursor keys are not available to 
help you move around the screen to make 
your selections. To avoid this problem, 
you can leave all features at their default 
settings and display the chart right away. 

Once you have saved the chart compo- 
sition to disk, you can then draw the chart. 
This step involves returning to the main 
menu where you specify the data sources 
for the X and y coordinates as either the 
keyboard or as an existing file. You load 
the chan specifications, change the output 
device {if necessary), and indicate that you 
want to draw the chart. Finally, you enter 
your numeric data through the keyboard, 
unless you ate importing data from an ex- 
ternal file. You can also run a command 
language file to specify the size of the 
graph and its placement in the display area. 
If all goes well, the chart can be displayed, 
printed, or plotted. 

Although Condor Grafts menu driven, 
it still seems clunky to work with. For ex- 
ample, a prompt on the data entry screen 
says “Use END to stop input,” but press- 
ing the End key on the PC’s keyboard 


causes a zero to be entered on-screen. 
What the message meant was to type the 
mainframe-program command END. 
Also, the program does not include a direc- 
tory feature, so you must either memorize 
the filenames for the charts and their input 
sources — as well as the data field names — 
or write them down on paper. 

Even when you accept all the program 
defaults, you still have to answer a long se- 
ries of questions. Something as easy as 
creating a pie chart becomes a chore when 
you are prompted to enter both x and y 
data. Why doesn’t the program know that 
a pie chart is essentially one-dimensional. 
Again, cursor keys ate not available to 
help you move around the screen so you 
have to tab through every item to get to the 
one you want to change. 

The 350-page, typed manual has been 
reduced from an 8V2- by 1 1-inch original 
to a 5'/:- by 8V;-inch format with no bold- 
facing or underscoring to help you find 
section headings. The manual includes er- 
ror message explanations but no index. It 
would be helpful if the chapter or section 
names were included in the header of each 
page. A 60-page tutorial takes you through 
all the menus and some of the demonstra- 
tion charts provided on the disk, but it’s 
easy to get lost once you’re on your own. 

For example, the testers tried to create 
CVS and DIF files many times for the data; 
each time unsuccessfully. A Condor tech- 
nical support person explained that he had 
no problems creating CVS and DIF files 
and suggested a look at the files on the 
demo disk. They were of no help. In any 
case, you shouldn’t have to dump a file in 
order to find out how to enter data. The 
process should beexplainedinthe manual . 

Condor Graf makes a good attempt to 
be the graphics product for everyone, of- 
fering a wide range of business graphs, and 
accepting data from many different data- 
base and spreadsheet programs. Unfortu- 
nately, the creators put mote effort into de- 
veloping the guts of the package than in 
producing an easy front-end for the user. 
Look into Condor Gref if you are already 
using the Condor database system, or if you 
feel at home with the mainframe style of the- 
program and documentation. Otherwise, 
you’ll find that other packages in the same 
price range offer the same kind of graphing 
capabilities and are simpler to use. • 


Condor Ciaf 2,0 

Condor Computer Corp. 
20s 1 South State Street 
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 
(3131769-3988 


CIRCLE 678 ON READER SERVICE CAnO 


LIST PRICE: $295 

REQUIRES: 128K RAM, two disk drives 
SUITORTS: 

Video boaids-IBM Color/Graphics 
Printeis-Anadex950l;C. Itoh 85 10; Centronics 
35 1 , 352, 353; DataSouIh ES 1 80; DEC 
LA50, LAIOO; Epson Giaftrax; IDS Prism; 
Okidata Mkroline; Printronix MVP 
Plotteis-BMC: Houston Instruments; Hewlett 
Packard; Roland; Watanabe; Mannesnunn 
Tally; Strobe; Sweet-P; Yokogawa 
DOS versions-2.0, 2. 1 
Other operating systems-CP/M 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-stu, ptu 
Manual-gtm, tes 

COPY PROTECnON: nep 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACILITIES: pcf , 

ped, mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: aab 

SCREEN/PRINTElUFUnTER 

FACILITIES: 

Halching-ndit 

Color choke-mcc 

Legends-mcl, vIp 

Header lines-5 

CommeiU lines-5 

Note lines-5 

Comment position-vcp 

Type fonts-varirdile 

Type font sizes-variable 

Ch^ overlays-IO 

Axis scaling-mas 

Grid display-mgd 

Tick precision-mtp 

Page adjusbnenl-ppa, hva, psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 

Standard focmals-Condor, probase, MicroPUm, 
Profit Plan, CalcStar, SuperCalcS, DBF, 
DIF, SDI, CVS, SYLK, ASOI 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-20 cIs, 4 cgs, 22 ssb, noc, 3dc 
Barcharts-20brs, 4bgs, 22ssb, nob, 3db 
Line chaits-20 ins, 200 ppl, 10 tpl, 26 Ism, uU, 
usm. 111, spl 
Regression types-none 
Pie charts-20 psl, 20 eps, apv 
Text/word chaits-none 
Gantt charts-none 
Orgaruzation charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low chait$-200 ihl 
Surface-area charts-20 Ins, 50 pis 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II, 1985 


181 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


ARTPAK 


Bells and Whistles for a Song 


A RTPAK has bells and whistles 
that can capture the attention of 
any audience, not just business 
people. While other graphics 
packages silently present their 
displays. ARTPAK adds a new 
note to presentation graphics 
with colorful, animated "slide 
shows” complete with musical 
accompaniment. It is a complete 
presentation package that fea- 
tures freehand drawing, anima- 
tion. music. 32 type fonts, and 
functions for generating line, 
bar. and pie charts. ARTPAK 
also includes several Picturpaks 
that contain ready-to-use images 
of maps, people, buildings, and a 
variety of other subjects. All of 
this is offered at a price that is 
considerably below that of other 
packages with similar features. 

The opening animation of the 
ARTPAK disk has the airbrushed 
look of the work of dedicated 


graphics workstations. Other packages 
may give you standard, vertical-scrolling 
animation , but ARTPAK goes one better — 
vertical scrolling plus horizontal panning. 
Animation is one of ARTPAK's special 
virtues. Unlike other animation packages 
that move an unchanging image across the 
screen, ARTPAK allows you to alternate 
between two versions of an image during 
animation, resulting in PacMan-type 
graphics. This feature allows you, for ex- 
ample, to animate a bird flying across the 
screen with wings that flap. 

The Twist 

With ARTPAK. you’ll find the basic 
chart types, but there’s a new twist to the 
creation process. Instead of using a menu 
or set of commands to construct the graph, 
you respond to a series of questions. For 
example, the program asks, ”How many 
divisions will the pie chart have?” or 
’ ’How many elements will be on the hori- 
zontal axis?” The program even prompts 
you for axis labels, titles, and grid lines. 


This chatty approach may work well for 
novices and occasional users, but it could 
become frustrating for those with more ad- 
vanced skills. 

The real power of ARTPAK lies in its 
chart enhancement features. Once the 
standard graph is created, you can begin 
enhancing it with freehand drawing, mu- 
sic, animation, and text. You can also re- 
trieve one of the 150 predrawn Picturpak 
images and modify it as you wish for a cus- 
tom look without the time and effort of 
made-from-scratch graphics. These medi- 
um-resolution, color images do not have 
that slick "art department” look of more- 
glamorous (and more-expensive) pack- 
ages, but they can add interest value and 
panache to otherwise standard charts and 
graphs. 

The musical capabilities of ARTPAK 
sound good but pose problems if you have 
no ear for music. Writing an entire tune 
can be cumbersome since you must speci- 
fy each note along with its duration, oc- 
tave, tempo, and so on. For example, 
“Mary had a little lamb” is represented as: 
MBT 1 0003L8gfe-fgggP8fff4gb-b-4gfe- 
fggggffgfe-. No doubt most of us would 
rather wait for the upcoming Musicpak li- 
braries of prestored tunes. 

ARTPAK's slide show feature offers a 
plus for your presentations. Slides can be 
changed using cut shots or faded in with 
dissolves. This new approach to changing 
slides adds a flair not found in other pack- 
ages. In addition, ARTPAK can store sev- 
eral hundred scenes on a single disk. 

To the Drawing Board 

The on-screen electronic drawing board 
is probably ARTPAK's best feaUire. With 
it, you can render circles, rectangles, lines, 
and freehand drawings using any graphics 
input device from a keyboard to a digitiz- 
ing pad. 

Images can be flipped, duplicated, 
turned, faded out, color^, and sized. You 
do all this manipulation with crosshair 


INSTRUMENT FAMILIES USED HITH MIDI -i 
as of January 1, 1984 



Instead of using a menu or commands to construct a graph, you respond to questions. 


182 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE II, 1985 



DSC Introduces 

AT cpbiies 

A Misritteii 
A piabout ^ 





With DSC COM boai'ds, yoiu' AT can 
support 16 users. Not just 3. 



With DSC COM boards and 
the XENDC operating system, 
your AT can support up to 16 
users. For about 1J3 the cost of net- 
working. COM boards save you 
the cost of networkii^ hardware 
by adding multiple, individually 
addressable serial communica- 
tion ports. And the multitasking, 
multiuser processing power built 
into your AT saves you the cost of 
a “smart” terminal for each user. 

COM-4 adds 4 individually 
addressable serial communica- 
tion ports. COM-8 adds 8 ports. 
And a pair of COM-8 boards 


brings your AT up to the full 
capAility IBM isn’t telling you 
about: 16 users, not just 3. 

Why isn’t IBM talking? 
Tim 're ^bably just being nice 
to the competition. 


r„ 


See us at Comdex booth 6815. IBM isa Registered Trademarti of International Business Machines. 



Please send me a brochure on 
PC Expansion Products, and a 
list of 

Name 
Company 
Address 



Zip 


CIRCLE 227 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


DfGIGRAPHIC SYSTEMS CORPORATION 

PC Expansion Products 


10273 YeUow Circle Drive Mpb., MN 55343 1.800-328-1209 


1 




Houston Instrument's 
new 

the compact digitizer 
with'mouse-abiiitY" 


Houston Instrument has molded superior 
electronics into a handy 8" x 7" wedge- 
shaped tablet to give you a high-precision 
digitizer that also can be used as a mouse for 
cursor control. 

By simply touching stylus to pad, you 
can drive the cursor to any point on your 
computer screen. So, with the PC Pad 
and appropriate software, you get the 


capabilities of a mouse and a digitizer in one 
small product. 

Features for Professionals 

For systems builders, or for software 
authors who want to create a graphics 
package for an innovative product, the PC 
Pad is a perfect mix of convenient size and 
advanced capability. 

With a PC Pad, you can convert minute 
details into data a computer can store. A 
PC Pad will address over one million 
individual points, allowing you to utilize 
sophisticated graphics monitors. 

Easy to Interlace 

The PC Pad is compatible with the same 
serial formats used with Houston 
Instrument's popular HIPAD™ digitizers, 
and can be used with any computer which 
has an RS-232-C interface. 

For more information about the compact, 
versatile PC Pad, contact Houston 
Instrument, P.O. Box 15720, Austin, Texas, 
78761, or call (512)835-0900. Outside Texas 
call 800-531-5205 for the name and location 
of your nearest representative. In Europe 
contact Houston Instrument, Belgium NV., 
Rochesterlaan 6, 8240 Gistel, Belgium. Tel: 
059-27-74-45, Tlx.: 846-81399. 



CacDDasQsDQ 

instrument 


HIPAD IS a req:?lerKJ tradf-narr oi Hf'ustt'n InstfurnffH 


CIRCLE 388 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


4P015 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


controls that give precision more common- 
ly found in state-of-the-art graphics sta- 
tions. If you accidentally delete or destroy 
an image that you really want, there is a re- 
store function to get it back — a real lifesav- 
er. But the most unique feature of the 
drawing board is the progressive fade-out 
function, accomplished using successive 
random erasures of dots in an image or 
word. You keep pressing the fade-out 
function key until you fade your image to 


ARTPAK adds a new 
note to presentation 
graphics with 
colorful, animated 
"slide shows” com- 
plete with musical 
accompaniment. 

the desired intensity. A unique special ef- 
fect can be achieved by combining the 
fade-out function with the animation-with- 
trailing feature. 

The package is not without limitations, 
however. The use of crosshairs on a draw- 
ing board is a new skill for most users and 
could take some time to learn. For exam- 


ple, drawing a circle by defining its corre- 
sponding boundary box with the crosshairs 
is a less intuitive drawing method than de- 
fining the center and radius. There is an 
on-line menu of functions that helps, but it 
is no substitute for an on-line tutorial. You 
can access a help feature from the drawing 
board, but each option is explained on a 
second screen. It would have been helpful 
to see a brief description of a function 
flashed directly on the drawing board. 
While parts of the package are very easy to 
use, such as the automatic graphing capa- 
bilities, it takes time before you can use the 
drawing board well. In addition, ARTPAK 
has no plotting features and only outputs to 
IBM or Epsom printers. 

In contrast to the program, ARTPAK's 
manual lacks pizzazz. The enhancements 
to the program have evidently outpaced the 
manual updates since yellow addendum 
sheets are included to explain Version 
1 .04, and another 48-page booklet covers 
the latest changes to Version 2.0. Neither 
the manual nor the booklet has an index, 
which limits their usefulness as reference 
guides. However, there are some helpful 
tutorial exercises with prints of screen dis- 
plays. 

It may not be perfect, but ARTPAK is 
certainly Innovative. The program’s ex- 
tensive animation, music, and slide show 
capabilities make it quite a package. B 


ARTPAK PnscatetkiB Systen 2UW 

PalSoftware 

1560 N. LaBfeaAve.#103 
Los Angeles, CA 90028 
(213)259-9659 

OBCLEgTO ON READER SERVICE CAPP^ 

UST PRICE: $249 plus $49-$99 for plotler 
suppoft 

REQUIRES: i28-2S6K RAM, one disk drive. 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boanb-IBM C^lor/Graphics or 
compatiUe 

Printer»-Epson Graftrax; IBM Graphics, Color 
($79 extra) 

Ploners-Hewlett-Packard 7470A. 747SA; IBM 
XY749; Sweet-P; Houston Instruments 
DMP40, DMP29. PC595. PC695; Calcomp 
84. 49. 95 

DOS verskxis-1 .0,1.1, 2.0, 2. 1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTAHON: 

Tutorial-stu 

Manual-hs 

COPY FROlTCrHXV: ncp 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACnjnESi pcf, 
pcd, mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: aab, 
ssh, msd 

SCREEN/FRlNlER/PLOrmi 

FACmriES: 

Hatching-fldit 
O^cboke-mcc 
Legends-acl, mcl, v4> 

Header lines-unlimit^ 

Comment lines-unlimited 
Note Unes-unlimited 
Comment position-vcp 
Typefonts-37 
Type font size$-I to 9 
Chivt overlays-unlimited 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Grid display-agd, 

Tick precision-atp, m^) 

Page adjustmait-4iva. psa 

INPUTS: 

Soiiices~iU). ipt, iff 

Grq^iics fotx^t&-PC Draw, PC Paintbiwh. 

VCN ExectMskm 
Standard formats-none 

PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS: 

Design method-fsd, std 

User inttiface-10 mop. 29 top, tmu 

Type fonts and sizBS-37 fht, I to 9 fhs. 37 fny 

Pattern handling-upa unlimited, vpf 

Drawing tools-bbrn, spc, mir, cop, idr 

Predefined chaits and images-pci, ppi, pli 

CHher busiiiess chan fbrmats-oone 

Image libraries-150{»s, 500 ila, 50.00 ail, sup 



Mkt Reseax'cli 
Design Specs 
Developnent 
Pkg Design 
Docunen tat i on 
Printing 
Manuf ac tur i ng 


The real power of ARTPAK lies In its chart enhancement features. 



PC MAGAZINE e JUNE II. 1985 


18$ 


dBASE III V 


^(XEP(M£mjL/ 


dBASE III \%kOKAMA7/Cim POY^UL 
NEW BUSINESS F1i06RAMMIN6 LANGUA&E. 

-Bot» Davies. President/SBT Coa>oratk>n 


AFTER A TWO- HOUR 
HANDS-ON StSSlON WITH 
dBASE ni,n \%£Y/eiEVT THAT 
ASHTON-TATE HAS MADE A S/(>V/r/CJWr 
ACNANCEMENT IN THE TECHNOLOGT 
OF MICAOPROCESSOR'BASEO DBMS. 

-Robert Dew. Vice Presklent/Tbe Computer Society 


RATHER THAN BEING 
AN IMITATOK, ASHTON-TATE 
HAS ONCE AGAIN SHOWN ITSEJLF TO 
/mWATOK. 

-Larry Heimiodinoer/Origin, Inc. 


ASHTON-TATE 
HAS LISTENED TO 
THEIR USERS. THIS 
PRODUCT A4W«£5SffS EVERY 
ITEM ON MT WfSff-l/ST. 

-Mark DaVia/National Microware. Inc. 


ASHTON-TATE 
HAS USHERED IN A ^£M/SMVC£. 
THE NEXT 0aM£AAr/QV OF SOFTWARE 
IS NOW A AEAl/ry. 

-Chris MacNeit/Abel Computers 


THE NEW REPORT 
GENERATOR IS SUfi£/i TO 
USE AND MODIFY 
LABEL GENERATION IS 
ALSO A NICE TOUCH. 

-Michael Broska/Agate Systems. Inc 


dBASE III™ is the powerful and easy-to-use relational database management system you’ve been 
waiting for. You can use it without hesitation whether you’re a beginner or an expert. 

The big winner in the easy-to-use vs. more powerful controversy is you. 

If you want to know all about dBASE III, come to your Ashton-Thte software dealer for a free demon- 
stration. For more information call (800) 437-4329 ext. 234 or in Colorado call (303) 799-4900 ext. 234. 


dBASEinutdAshton-ltearetradeniwksof Ashtorv-l^. ©Ashton-TUe 1965. All ri^iurtierved. 



s.dBASEin 



£4S/70aS£/ 



dBASEm IS BY 
FAR THE SAi/SSr, MOST 
casr-£/V£cr/ne 
\A»y TO MANA&E A 
LAROE DATA CASE. 

-Robb Auspitz/McEntyre Designs 


dBASE 111 IS MUCH^HSiG? 

TO OPERATE AND UNDERSTAND. 

. PR06RAMMING WITH IT IS A BA££Z£. 

-Michael Broska/Agate Systems. Inc. 


THE NATURAL CHOICE 
OF THE NOVICE USER 
WITH expandable NEEDS. 
dBASE III IS REALLV 
EASY TO USE I 

-Alex Gersen/Alex Systems 


dBASE m 
SUCCESSFULLY 
COMBINES THE 
FEATURES OF A POW£/iEUL 
DATABASE MANAGER WITH THE SIMPLICITY 


AND user-friendliness OF A FILE MANAGER, 
n SETS THE STANDARD AGAINST WHICH ALL 
OTHERS WILL HAVE TO BE COM/WED. 

-Jerry Schneider. Vice President/WBS & Associates 


ASHTON- TATE. 

WLS OBY/OUSty listened 
TO THE END USERS. 

-Dave Browning. Chairman/ 
Database SIG. Capital PC Users Group 

THE DEGREE ‘ 

OF RESPONSIVENESS 
WHICH ASHTON-TATE HAS SHOWN 

IN ITS w/LUMyness to uste/y and adapt 

TO USER /YEEO SHOULD GUARANTEE IT A 
COMMITTED FOLLOWING IN THE 
MICROCOMPUTER COMMUNITY. 

-PhlNip Wood. Director of Data Processing/Search Institute 


Software ton 

/SHTON-TOE' 

Wfell putyou in control. 

ORCLE no ON READER SERVICE CARD 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Grafox 


A Mixed Bag of Strong Features and Problems 


G rirfox is the Fox & Geller graph- 
ics package designed to use DIF 
and BASIC files as input. On the 
surface, Grafox appears to be 
similar to Fox & Geller’s 
dGRAPH III, which imports data 
from dBASE HI files. Unfortu- 
nately, while the two purport to 
do the same things, they don't; 
Grcrfox is noticeably less power- 
ful. Just when you think you’ve 
seen all the program bugs, a new 
one pops up to taunt you. 

Grafox can accept data that 
you enter interactively at the key- 
board, fiom BASIC or other data 



■ ■ ■ □ 


Grafox features a number of shading techniques and a 
handy “autograph" feature. 



188 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE 1 1 . J985 




HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF MORE 
PRESENTABLE. 


Introducing the new Presented PC Bus- 
iness and Presentation Graphics software pack- 
age that not only enables ^ to create charts 
and graphs on your computer screen-it 
actually permits you to turn them into pro- 
fessional-quality slides for your presentations. 

Its fast, easy and economical. And it’s 
also a very efl^ive way to increase your suc- 
cess by presenting with slides in all your meet- 
ings-fonmal and otherwise. 

Basically you use PresenterPC soft- 
ware with your IBM® or COMPAQ® personal 
computer and a graphics adapter card to create 
the graphics you want. 

Then, by a simple phone transmission 
or by mail, your data is quickly transformed in- 
to bright and crisp, ready-to-use slides or over- 
head transparencies. 

All at a very affordable price. 

The PresenterPC pack^ offers many 
possibilities in an easy-to-use, highly interactive, 
menu driven system.Mou can efetively create 
everythir^ from simple charts to more elabor- 
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CIRCLE 127 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



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CIRCLE 512 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


files containing comma-delimited fields, 
or from DIF files like those created with 
VisiCalc. Grafox can also import columns 
of data from other Grafox charts. Within 
the program, a powerful query feature lets 
you manipulate data arithmetically and 
represent averages of columns, counts on 
records, percentages of a sum, or percent- 
ages of a count. 

Grafox is menu-driven, and a directory 
within the program lets you manipulate 
files in the Grafox directory without exit- 
ing the program. It creates bar, column, 
line, and pie charts for display on the mon- 
itor and supports over a dozen plotters and 
printers. 

Grafox features a number of shading 
techniques and a multichart capability that 
can place two color or three black-and- 
white charts on the same page. An “auto- 
graph” feature lets you default or define 
your own shading and scaling parameters. 
The program also has an inverse video fea- 
wre, a zoom featirre, which crops unim- 
portant areas from a graph, an “accumu- 
late” feature, which adds up columns and 
plots the results, and an “average” fea- 
ture, which draws an average line. You 
can also create and incorporate text files 
into the graph. 

Subtle Problems 

On paper, Grafox seems like an ideal 
program. However, its limitations are sub- 
tle ones. You carmot have more than four 
groups of data in color. Because of this 
constraint, any visual with five or more 
data elements can only be displayed in 
monochrome. 

You create multiple graphs ostensibly 
by assigning existing charts to share space 
on the page. During the multiple-graph 
process the program rescales the graphs 
but not the text. Grafox simply crops long 
titles, and it takes a good deal of trial and 
error to create new titles that fit. The pro- 
gram obstinately refused to plot the pie 
component of a pie/bar combination, but it 
did cooperate by printing them both on an 
Epson printer. In one instance, the pro- 
gram also mistakenly printed the same la- 
bel on both axes. 

Other disturbing problems cropped up 
during the testing of this program. On a 
number of occasions Grafox decided to 
save the graph to the screen instead of to 


the disk. The screen then filled with inter- 
esting but useless program code. Inciden- 
tally, the name of the graph in question 
was one letter over the maximum allot- 
ment for graph names; rather than simply 
flagging the error, the program chose to 
misbehave. 

Too Many Names 

Grafox has more filenames than a cat 
has lives, leaving you prone to confusing 
errors. If, for example, you specify a color 
monitor, the program saves your files to 
one extension. Grafox has extensions for 
printers, black-and-white monitors, multi- 
charts. single charts, Grafox data, and 
headers for BASIC data. Under normal 
circumstances you don’t need to bother 
with these extensions, but on occasion it’s 
important to keep track of them. 

Grafox offers only one font and con- 
fines all graphs to the same size specifica- 
tions. While the list of attributes that the 
program enables you to customize is admi- 


On paper, Grafox 
seems like an 
ideal program, but its 
limitations are 
subtle ones. 

rable, two important features are immuta- 
ble — font and graph size. Also, the man- 
ual and the design of the screen are 
cluttered and confusing. A scant two pages 
does a poor job as an index. 

Grafox, with its attention to enhanced 
features, is a program that has a lot of good 
things going for it. The plotted output is 
crisp, clean, and attractive. Advanced fea- 
tures of the program let you use commands 
with arguments to speed up the graphing 
process, but the arguments that Grafox 
provides for aren’t that powerful. The data 
query language lets you summarize com- 
plex data. Fox & Geller's Grafox certainly 
has the ability to perform well, but for 
$295. some of the rough spots should be 
smoother. ® 


Grafox 1.0 
Fox & Geller 
604 Maiicet Street 
Elmwood. NJ 07407 
(201)794-8883 

CIRCLE 663 ON REACCR SERVICE CARD 


LIST PRICE: $295 

REQUIRES: 96K RAM, two disk drives 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Graphics Adapter and 
compatibles 

Printcrs-Okidata Microline; IDS Prism 80/132; 
Anadex 9000, 9001 . 9500. 9501 ; NEC 
Spinwriter; Epson Graftrax; C. Iioh 85 lOA; 
Dalasouth 180; Diablo 1750; IBM Graf^ics 
PIolters-Hewleti-Packard 7470A 
DOS versions- 1.1. 2.0 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-plu 
Manual-gtm, idx. tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: ncp 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACILITIES: pcf, 
pcd 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACILITIES: aab 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FACILITIES: 

Hatching-mhi 
Color choice-mcc 
Legends-mcl. vlp 
Header lines-varies 
Comment lir»es~varies 
Note lines-varies 
Comment position-vahes 
Type fonts- 1 
Type font sizes- 1 
Chart overIays-3 
Axis scaling-mas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick precision-mtp 
Page adjustment-nonc 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 

Graphics formats-none 

Standard formats-ASCII. DIF, BASIC 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-52 els. 4 cgs. 52 cpg, 4 ssc, noc 
Barcharts-52 brs. 4bgs, 52 bpg, 4ssb. nob 
Linecharts-4 Ins. 52 ppl. 4 tpl, 4 Ism. utl. usm. 

ni 

Regression types-none 
Pie charts- 1 2 psl . apv 
Text/word charts-none 
Gantt charts-none 
(Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area chans-4 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


191 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


ChartStar 


A Bright New Star from MicroPro 

A lthough known primarily as the 
producer of WordStar, MicroPro 
has long offered a wide range of 
complementary programs, in- 
cluding a simple file manager, 
report generator, spelling check- 
er, and others. A recent addition, 
ChartStar, is a very good busi- 
ness graphics program that might 
well attract a sizable audience. 

ChartStar can produce a wid- 
er variety of charts than many, if 
not most, competitive products. 
It can plot horizontal and vertical 
bar charts, pie, and even line 
charts with dual y axes quickly 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 

As of January. 1985 



Sittrcc nvlcan Mile taMelitlon 
UM Mrtetlra StiMi 
by CHputMMnd Ihc. 


IBM AT-CompatiOle Products 
Being Developed 



One of ChartStaf*9 advantages Is Ks 
considerable flexiblitty of graphic design. 


192 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE II, 1985 



26 

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subscribe to 
PC Magazine 

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Why people choose an IBM PC in the first place 
is why people want IBM service.. .in the first place. 


After all. who knows your IBM Personal 
Computer better than IBM? 

That's why we offer an IBM maintenance 
agreement for every member of the Personal 
Computer family. It's just another example 
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An IBM maintenance agreement for your 
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And for those customers who prefer it, we 
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CRCU Ml orf UADEI SERVICE CARD 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


and painlessly. It can also create the more 
complex charts such as Gantt, organiza- 
tion, and scatter, and combine some of 
them with the same ease. ChartStar also 
displays the various chart types to help you 
choose the format that best suits your 
needs. 

The program uses menus for entering 
data and selecting options and presents on- 
screen input forms for specifying layout 
choices. These forms are clear and almost 
self-explanatory; a complete on-line help 
facility explains any unfamiliar options. 

Considerable Flexibility 

ChiiriSuir has many niceties that con- 
tribute to professional-looking charts. One 
is considerable flexibility in design — espe- 
cially given the strict nature of its input 
forms. Each line of a three-line title can 
have a different type size, and you can con- 
trol the color of almost every element. 
CharlSlar also lets you draw three-dimen- 
sional bars and pies. Once you have en- 
tered the data and completed the chart’s in- 
put form, you can display the chart on a 
color monitor by hitting a function key. 

The method of producing organization 
charts is especially noteworthy. Unlike the 
other ChartStar graphs, which use input 
forms, organization charts are simply 
"painted” on the screen with cursor 
movement keys. The program can make 
only rectangular boxes (not the odd- 
shaped symbols used in flowcharts), but 
the boxes can be either fixed in size or 
stretched to accommodate the text inside. 
You can also draw lines between boxes 
with the cursor keys. For some reason, the 
few competitive programs that can pro- 
duce organization charts make the process 
very difficult, while ChartStar'^ couldn't 
be easier or faster. 

ChartStar's plots are also first rate, and 
it can combine several charts on one piece 
of paper. Solid-area fill is fast and thor- 
ough. ChartStar makes special provisions 
for plotting on overhead transparencies, 
and has a competent slide show system. 

One minor drawback is that Chart- 
Star's screen images are rather primitive 
and bear little resemblance to the high- 
quality plotter output ChartStar produces. 
This disparity is more of a problem in 
graphics programs that, unlike ChartStar, 
let you move chart elements around, mak- 


ing it difficult to judge from the design on 
the screen how the finished drawing will 
look. Since ChartStar doesn't allow you to 
move elements around and relies on input 
forms rather than interactive design proce- 
dures. this disparity is less significant. 
Moreover, ChartStar puts chart elements 
in reasonable places to begin with. 

ChartStar supports a very limited num- 
ber of peripherals: the standard IBM color 
monitor, three Hewlett-Packard plotters, 
and only Epson, IBM. and IDS printers. 
This greatly restricts the potential market 
for ChartStar: MicroPro should add device 
drivers immediately. 

Also, ChartStar does not run on the PC 
AT. Since MircoPro does not mention this 


ChartStar can 
produce a wider 
variety of charts 
than many, if not 
most, competitive 
products. 

fact in the documentation, the testers 
found out the hard way. ChartStar uses a 
key disk system on lx)th hard disk and 
floppy disk systems. Only one copy of the 
key disk can be made. The AT's 1 .2-me- 
gabyte drive could read the key disk and 
therefore start the program only about one- 
third of the time; the AT’s 360K floppy 
couldn’t read the key disk at all. A further 
difficulty occurred because although it was 
possible to define all the sample charts, the 
program refused to produce hard copy on a 
Hewlett-Packard 7475 plotter. A call to 
MicroPro confirmed that ChartStar 
doesn’t work on the AT. 

All in all, ChartStar has much to rec- 
ommend it. Like any other program, it 
could use some additions and improve- 
ments. Though it needs many more device 
drivers and some further development of 
the on-screen graphics quality, this little- 
known program is far better than many of 
its competitors. It would be a shame if Mi- 
croPro, by concentrating on WordStar, let 
C/iflrr5rflr fall through the cracks. ® 


ChartStar 1.0 

MicroPro International 
33 San Pablo Ave. 

San Rafael, CA 94903 
(415)499-1200 

CIRCLE 670 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


UST PRICE: $295 

REQUIRES: 1 92K RAM , two disk drives 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boaFd.s-IBM Color/Graphics or 
compatible 

Printers-Epson. IDS ftism. IBM Graphics 
PIotiers-Hewlett-Packard 7470, 7475. 7220; 
Sweet-P 600 

DOS vcrsions-l. 1. 2.0. 2. 1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-pni 
Manual-gim, idx. tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: Icf. hdk 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: pcf. 
pcd. mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: ssh. 
asd. msd 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOrTER 

FACamES: 

Halching-mht 
Colwchoice-acc, mcc 
Legends-mcl. 3 
Header lines-3 
Comment lines-3 
Note lines-none 
Comment position-nonc 
Type fonts- 1 

Type font sizes-unlimilcd 
Chart overlays-rwne 
Axis scaling-aas. mas 
Grid display-agd. mgd 
Tick precision-atp, mtp 
Page adjustment-ppa. psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources- ikb 

Graphics furmats-none 

Standard foimats-SYLK, DIF. SuperCalc 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-72 els. 5 cgs, 5 cpg. 5 ssc. noc. 
3dc 

Bar charts-72 brs. 5 bgs. 5 bpg. 5 ssb. nob 
Line chans-6 Ins. 60 ppt. 6 tpl. 8 Ism, utl. usm. 
sll. fll. spl. lil. rdl 

Regression types-lirrear, experiential . 
logarithmic, power 

Pie charts-20psl. 20eps. 3dp. ppv, apv. epv 
Tcxt'word chart.s-4 bts, ctx, jtx 
Gantt charts-3itg. lOrog. uig. I smg 
Organization charts-2 sto. 3 tio, vso 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts-6 Ins. 60 pis 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE 11, 1985 


195 




BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Executive Picture Show 


A Discount Ticket to Business Graphics 


I 


f your budget is limited but you 
want a "total" graphics pack- 
age, consider Executive Picture 
Show. However, its lack of plot- 
ter support might spoil the show 
for you. It comes complete with 
the standard chart types, free- 
form graphics, libraries of pres- 
tored images, and animation and 
slide-show capabilities. You can 
even add sound and interactive 
branching to your ‘‘picture 
shows" if you don't mind doing 
a bit of programming. And the 
price of a ticket to this video 
.show makes it worthwhile to take 



Surprisingly, this sophisticated and colorful program can 
not output to a plotter. 


Ins tpuMent 


Fanilies Used with MIDI 


TOTAL 


Ke^b 

Guit 

Perc 

Othe 


e&y. 

20 

13 

7 



196 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11. 1985 



Leaders have long recognized the need for quahty graphics. 

Now see how Hewlett-Packard takes presentations 
out of the stone age and into the computer age. 



loday, more than ever, leaders 
demand state-of-the-art presentations 
-requiring visuals that communicate 
ideas clearly and powerfully. 

That's why so many business profes- 
sionals turn to Hewlett-Packard. Our 
family of Graphics Plotters introduces 
professional-quality graphs and charts 
to all your presentations. Quality that, 
quite frankly, makes printer graphics 
look "stone age" by comparison. 

Hewlett-Packard^ computer- 
generated visuals quickly transform 
complex statistical information into 


HP PLOTTER BENEFITS 

Feature 

HP 

Grof^ics 

Pbtter 

BIW 

Dot Matrix 
Printer 

Color 

Overheads 

YES 

Not 

AvailaUe 

Smooth 

Lirtes 

YES 

No 

Crisp 

Letterh^ 

YES 

No 


meaningful graphs. And data into 
trends. Making your points clearly 
. . .and your business meetings even 
more persuasive and memorable. 

Runs with leading PC’s and 
software packages. 

HP Graphics Plotters are compatible 
with most of the personal computers 
in your office, including IBM, 
Compaq, and AT&T-as well as a 
host of HP computers. You even have 
a choice of many off-the-shelf soft- 
ware packages, such as Lotus 1-2-3" 
and Symphony," * * that give you 
"first-day" productivity. 


pies from an HP Graphics Plotter 
and a leading printer-so you can 
compare for yourself and see exactly 
what your presentations have been 
missing. 

Odl 800 FOR-HPPC today for more 
information and the name of your nearest 
dealer. Or write Hewlett-Packard, Market- 
ing Communications, 16399 W. Bernardo 
Drive, San Diego, CA 921274899. 

Leadership in Business Graphics. 

For Leaders in Business. 

WAfft HEWLETT 
mifnM PACKARD 

CIRCXE 143 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



Call 800 FOR-HPPC 
and see what we mean. 

Call us toll-free for your FREE Pres- 
entations Kit, and see why HP is the 
Number One selling Graphics Plotter. 
We'll send you a detailed brochure, 
a list of available software, and sam- 

Hewlett-Packard graphics plotters, start- 
ir^ at $1095* quickh/ transform complex 
data into pro^ional-quality graphics. 

You can make text charts, bar charts, 
pie charts, and tine charts- 
on either overhead transparency film 
or paper. All HP plotters give you: 

• Sharp line quality 

■ Compatibility with most personal 
computers and graphics software 

■ Ease-of-use 

■ Hewlett-Packard proven reliability n 


*1-2-3 and Symphony are trademarks 
of Lotus Development 
Corporation. 






Three Peas In A Pod 



Honeywell /xLYNX, 

NO Preboots, Drivers, 

Special Software or Memory Usage 

As far as you’re concerned, the most important computer 
in the world is the PC that handles your own business 
matters. You want it to be fast, efficient. . .and reliable. 

That’s why Honeywell developed the frLYNX’^’^ Track- 
ball. It enhances the performance of your IBM™ PC (and 
the IBM keyboard compatibles), and gives you some 
impressive new timesaving solutions. 

Like graphics drawing. Word processing editing. And 
spreadsheet cell searching. You can even generate data 
base forms. 

The /iLYNX Trackball gives you precise, fingertip cursor 
control, as easily — and natu^ly — as rolling a b^l in the 
direction you want the cursor to move. Unlike a mouse or 
graphics pad, /xLYNX totally eliminates the need for a 
large, fiat working surface. Because it’s small enough to 
fit in your hand. And ergonomically designed to be used 
comfortably for hours. 

Your system won’t need any special set-up with the 
/iLYNX, either. It simply plugs in between the keyboard 
and the computer; leaving your RS232 port free for other 
peripherals. Drivers and preboots aren’t necessary. And 
you don’t have to worry about extra memory or special 
software. You can use it with software you already have. 



IBM PC, And You 


With ftLYNX, you’ve got a user-friendly device on your 
hands! It provides a menu to guide you through its opera- 
tion. You can select one of the preset ball motion and 
pushbutton configurations, or better yet you can program 
the /iLYNX yourself right from the keyboard 
to suit your software requirements. And 
its battery supported RAM holds that 
program, even during power-down. 


The Honeywell /iLYNX 
teamed up with your IBM 
PC. Tivo big companies 
backing the most impor- 
tant computer system 
in the world. Yours. 




\ 



Contact us for a comprehensive 
brochure on the incredible jiLYNX. 

Or better yet, take one for a test spin at your 
nearest computer dealer. You’ll be amazed at the 
performance of your PC! Dealer Inquiries Invited. 

Honeywell 

*' Disc Intmimils SaksMIaiy 

102 East Baker Street • Costa Mesa, CA 92626 
(714) 979-5300 • TWX— (910) 595-1987-DISC CSMA 

IBM it a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, 


QRCLE 170 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


a good look at. 

Executive Picture Shtnv deserves the 
Menu Congeniality award. Each menu 
choice is accompanied by a small, colorful 
icon that animates after it’s selected. For 
example, to display a sequence of slides as 
a “picture show,” you select the movie 
projector icon. It then "mns” for a few 
seconds and plays some musical notes be- 
fore branching to that section of the pro- 
gram. You’ll want to cycle through all the 
choices just to see the special effects. The 
terms and icons are easy to understand. In 
the free-form drawing section of the pro- 
gram, a “worm” mode leaves an Etch-a- 
Sketch trace as you draw. You can alter- 
nate type fonts and other symbols and store 
them in “cubby holes” defined by each 
key on the keyboard. The menu, in combi- 
nation with the program’s intuitive termin- 
ology and straightforward manual, makes 
the package easy and fun to use. 

The focus of Executive Picture Show is 
its drawing option. You can use the on- 
screen drawing board to create slides and 
scenes. It allows all kinds of special ef- 
fects, sucb as flipping objects, “floating” 
(animation), flashing, coloring, stretch- 
ing, shrinking, and more. You can bring in 
and modify pictures stored on disk, includ- 
ing full-screen drawings and pictures of 
isolated objects and figures (called “vec- 
tors”). All single shapes and figures can 
be stretched to larger sizes or squeezed to 
fit into a smaller area. You can create your 
own figures by tracing the shape on a grid 
of dots. Shapes must be created in this way 
in order to take advantage of the full range 
of special effects. One caution, however: 
Shapes that ate enlarged too much take on 
a low-resolution look, complete with stair- 
steps and jagged edges. 

The package’s unique “scenario” op- 
tion lets you “record” a drawing session 
and then later show the action play by play. 
The graphic appears on the screen in the 
same sequence that you created it. 

Another plus not often found in presen- 
tation graphics is slanted text. Your text 
can appear at virtually any slant and orien- 
tation you choose. You just enter the angle 
you want. Some packages can rotate text 
in increments of 90 degrees, resulting in 
four different orientations — normal, up- 
side-down, vertical left, and vertical 
right — but Executive Picture Show's full- 


circle rotation allows you to slant text diag- 
onally. 

The package comes with dozens of 
prestored full-screen images and isolated 
figures. The figure libraries include scien- 
tific symbols, birds, animals, tools, ma- 
chines, computers, labels, eight type 
fonts, and many common objects. Unfor- 
tunately, the colorful full-screen images 
lack that “picture-perfect” look of art-de- 
partment graphics. Also, the images ate 
inconsistent, unlike those of some other 
packages that create a characteristic 
“look.” The package does not provide 
off-line prints of the images for your perus- 
al. If you want to preview the images 
stored on the data disks, you must load 
each one from the editing section of the 
program. At least the drawing board can 
provide a list, so you don’t have to memo- 
rize the name of each image. 

Despite its obvious charm. Executive 
Picture Show has serious limitations. Data 
for the standard charts and graphs can be 
input only from the keyboard, making the 
package unsuitable for those who want to 
graph large data sets stored in DIF formats 
or other files. Its business graphics section 
is its weakest link. It can graph a maxi- 
mum of 1 2 values per data set and 3 data 
sets at once. Design options are minimal. 
If you want a showy graph for the picture 
show, you must call it into the drawing 
board for enhancement. The review ver- 
sion was plagued with such bugs as titles 
showing up in the wrong place and random 
letters appearing on the screen. 

Executive Picture Show is “out of fo- 
cus” in a few other places as well. The 
demonstration disk brought up error mes- 
sages, and its interactive feature worked 
only occasionally. It might have helped if 
the package’s developers had done a little 
more editing of their own before releasing 
this package — and added plotter support. 

TTie package’s flaws can be overlooked 
if you are in the market for a presentation 
graphics package, know something about 
BASIC, and have a limited budget. One of 
the most powerful features of Executive 
Picture Show is its interactive capability. It 
allows you to create on-screen slide shows 
that let the viewer make simple choices 
and branch to different slide sequences. 
Despite its problems. Executive Picture 
Show may be right on the money. B 


Executive Picture Show 2.0 

PCsoftwaie 

9120GraiiieicyDr.#416 
San Diego, CA 92123 
(619)571-0981 

CIRCLE 684 ON nEXPER SERVICE OWO 


LIST PRICE: S24S 

REQUIRES: l92KRAM.rwo disk drives 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Graphics 
Monilois-IBM Color 

Prinleni-IBM Graphics: Epson FX, MX. JX; TI 
8SS;Okidala:C.ltoh 
Ptoaers-none 

DOS versioiis-2.0. 2. 1 . 3.0 
Other operating systems-nonc 

DOCUMENTATIOV: 

Tutorial-stu. ptu 
Manual-idx 

COPVPROTECnON: nep 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUmES: none 

SCREEN GRAPtUCS FACIUTIES: ssh. 
asd 

SCREEN/PRlNTER/PtaOTTER 

FACIUTIES: 

HiUching-aht 
Col<M’ choice-mcc 
Legend$-acl, vIp 
Header lines- 1 
Crmunent lines-none 
Note lines-none 
Conunent positton-vq) 

Typefonts^ 

Type font sizes-vahable 
Chart overlays-none 
Axis Scaling-aas 
Grid dispiay-ngd 
Tick precision-ntp 
Page adjustmeni-none 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 

Graphics formats-B*Saved screens 
Standard formats-none 

CHART TYPES: 

Column chart$-12cU. 12cgs. 3cpg, aoc. 3dc. 
npc 

Bar charts- 1 2 brs, 12bgs.3bpg.3ssb. npb 

Linechaits-3 Ins, I2ppl, 3 ipl. 3 Ism. utl. usm 

Regression types-irane 

Pie charts- 1 2 psl . ppv 

Text word charts-8 

Gantt charts-none 

Organization charts-none 

Bubble charts-none 

Hi^-Iow charts-none 

Surface*area charts-3 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


199 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Business Graphics System 


No-Nonsense Graphics for Your Business 


B usiness Graphics System (BGS) 
typifies Peachtree Software’s ap- 
psoach to applications programs: 
high-quality, no-nonsense pack- 
ages that allow you to create use- 
ful output quickly and without 
frustration. BGS deftly uses a 
combination of menus and fill- 
in-the-blank forms to produce 
line, bar, area, pie, word, histo- 
gram, and scatter charts from 
your data. It can also create a spe- 
cial chart format for displaying 
business ratio analyses. 

BGS's main menu offers op- 
tions to edit or create the ch^ 



Many ol the forms provided by BGS allow an extensive 
choice of aesthetic elements. 


MIDI User Categories 



As of January^ 1985 


200 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE 11. 1985 ' 


Put your PC 
in Pictures'" 


With PC-EYE” your IBM PC can 
capture real-Hfe pictures ol people, 
pr^ucts, drawings, text • anything 
a video camera can see. Add one 
or more of CHORUS’ software 
packages and you can perform 
sophtoUcated graphic arts, data 
baire managemeiit, security and 
long distance communications 
tasks. 



Start with the PC-EYE” video 
capture system. There are three 
models to choose from with up to 
640 X 512 resolution — 16, 64, 
and 256 gray levels or color 
combinations. Then add one or 
more of the following software 
packages for your application. 



PhotoBase™ - Integrates pictures 
with your data base 

Compatible with dBase II, RBase 
4000 and the IBM Filing Assistant 
and others, PhotoBase lets you use 
your data base system as you now 
do. BUT, now you can add a quarter 
screen picture captured by a video 
camera or VCR and display data, 
pictures, and signatures on the 
screen simultaneously. Applications 
include real estate, bank security 
and signature verification, medical 
record keeping, product cataloging 
and more. 




IMIGI'r’ - Graphic Arts CapabWy 

IMiGIT is icon driven and ideal for 
creating traditional or exotic illustra- 
tions using combinations of art, text 
and photos for slide presentations, 
video graphics, CAO, medical, adver- 
tising and publishing applications. 
IMiGIT PLUS delivers high quality 
true color graphics you can mani- 
pulate and edit with text painting, air 
brushing, curve fitting, filled and 
unfilled circles, boxes and much 
more via mouse or digitizer pad. 



CHORUS 


PhotoMal™ - TWo-way 
Communications using pictures, 
text and voice. 

Transmit pictures over ordinary 
telephone lines to remote com- 
puters. Pictures of people, dia- 
grams, text houses, construction 
sites - anything you can capture 
with standard video equipment you 
can display and transmit at resolu- 
tions up to 640 X 400 X 16 levels of 
gray or color. You can edit pictures 
with text and labels. Dual cursors 
permit simultaneous pointing to 
common pictures. PhotoMail sup- 
ports alternate voice and image 
transmission, disk storage, and 
hardcopy printout File conversion 
is included to support “electronic 
mail" systems. 



Great Vblue Added Opportunities 
OEMs and software developers can 
incorporate high quality pictures 
into their products. Sy^ms can be 
upgraded with PC-EYE digitizing 
expansion boards using an EIA 
RS-170 or RS-330 video source 
and PC-EYE imaging subroutines. 

Call us about our other imaging 
products like Colorverter,"' 

Screen Master,™ and CompressIT™ 
to help meet your application needs. 
1-eOO-OCHORUSor 603-424-2900. 
Or write for our "Seeing is 
Believing" comprehensive brochure. 

TM: All are trademarks of 
CHORUS DATA SYSTEMS. INC. 


‘dBase ll is a trademark of Ashton-Tate: R-Base 
4000 is a trademark of Microrim, inc.; IBM Filing 
Assistant is a trademark of International Business 
Machines Corporation. 

CIRCLE 184 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


CHORUS Data Syttemt, Inc., 6 Continental Blvd., RO. Box 370, Merrimack, New Hampshire 03054 







The names may sound alike. 

Yet, when it comes to enhancing 
business graphs, creating graphic 
presentations, or designing greeting 
cards, there is only one choice. To see 
why, just look at the chart. 

For example, notice that PC 
Paintbrush will run on most 320 x 200 
graphics cards plus 19 higher 
resolution ones Including the IBM 
Enhanced Graphics Adapter, PCjr., 
Tecmar Graphics Master, and Hercules 
monochrome and color boards. PC 
Paint runs on just 3. 

It's the same with text enhancements. 
With PC Paintbrush, you have a choice 
of 14 fonts in 15 styles (boldface, 
italics, etc.) and 9 sizes. With PC Paint, 
you get only 5 fonts and a “choice" of 
exactly 3 styles. 

With PC Paintbrush, you have a choice 
of 9 different input devices (4 mice, joy- 
stick, touchscreen, and 3 tablets). With 
PC Paint you can use one mouse 
—period. PC Paintbrush supports 30 
printers and plotters. With PC Paint 
you’re limited to 3. 


PC PAINTBRUSH PC PAINT 


Max resolution 
Compatible 

720x704 

320x200 

Graphics Cards 

19 

3 

Printers/Plotters 

30 

3 

Input Devices 

9 

1 

On-Screen Colors 

16 

16 

Number of Fonts 

14 

5 

Font Sizes 

9 

3 

Text Styles 

15 

3 

Drawing Line Widths 
Enlargement/ 

10 

4 

Reduction 

Slide Show 

Yes 

No 

Presentation 

Yes 

No 

Area Fill 

Yes 

No 

Zoom 

2 

1 



Despite all its options, PC Paintbrush 
is easy to use. You have drawing tools, 
drop-down menus, and a range of 
shapes, colors and brush widths to 
draw with (10 widths vs. only 4 for PC 
Paint). 

PC Paintbrush lets you capture 
graphs, charts, and images from any 
other graphics software (like Lotus 1- 
2-3) and enhance them with text, 
colors, and textures. 

Compare them and we think you'll 
agree. There is no comparison. 

So be sure to get PC Paintbrush. After 
all, it just doesn’t make sense to paint 
without a paintbrush. 

You can buy PC Paintbrush with a 
choice of mice, with a PC Tablet, or by 
itself. For your nearest dealer call 
MicroD, First Software, Software 
Resources, Softeam, Softsel or call 
800-556-2283. Or stop by any Entre'or 
Computerland. Dealers and 
Distributors call 800-222-GRAF or 
800-562-GRAF (in CA). 

PC Paintbrush is a trademark of ZSoft Corporation. 

PC Tablet Is a trademark of IMS). 



INTERNATIONAL MICROCOMPUTER SOFTWARE. INC. 
1299 Fourth Street • San Rafael. CA 94901 *415/454-7101 
CIRCLE 151 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


speciHcations and data forms, design a 
word chart, display graphs or word charts, 
and import data from Peachtree’s Peach- 
Calc spreadsheet. From the main menu 
you can also reconfigure BGS; access a 
file-manager system that copies, renames, 
deletes, and otherwise manipulates files; 
access the on-line help system; or quit. 
You select options with two-character 
mnemonics, and each option invokes sub- 
menus. An experienced user can circum- 
vent some of the menu steps, but BGS of- 
fers no command option system to avoid 
the menus altogether. 

For most charts, you need to fill in both 
BGS forms — the chart specifications form 
(the Label File on the main menu) and the 
data form for the actual data to be plotted 
(the Data File on the main menu). Specify- 
ing charts and entering data is very easy 
and requires little practice. 

The information BGS requests will vary 
depending on the type of chart you are 
plotting, but common elements include 
wording of the title, axes, and labels; title 
color; whether the final chart should be 
framed; and font characteristics. Seven 
fonts ate available. You can adjust charac- 
ter height and width over a range of 1 ,000 
incremental values and slant characters left 
or right in 1 -degree increments up to 45 de- 
grees in either direction. Many of the 
forms allow an extensive choice of aesthet- 
ic elements including eight colors, nine fill 
patterns, six line styles, and six line sym- 
bols. The program positions chart ele- 
ments nicely, which is fortunate since you 
cannot move them later. 

There are other design limitations as 
well. Titles can be only 20 characters at 
most, and you can’t place blocks of text on 
most charts as comments or notes. Line or 
bar charts with two different y-axis scales 
cannot be produced, nor can bubble, orga- 
nization, multiple-pie, Gantt, or other ad- 
vanced chart types. 

Once BGS has the necessary design in- 
formation and data, it can display the chart 
on the screen or output to a suitable graph- 
ics printer or plotter. The system offers 
you a choice of outputs as you view every 
chart, and no complicated gyrations are 
necessary to use various devices. 

The on-screen graphs are only fair, but 
plotted output is first-rate. Plotting is 
slightly slower than some other programs 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 


because BGS tills in solid areas using very 
small, thorough increments. 

Installing BGS is easy if your hard-copy 
device is a Hewlett-Packard 7475 plotter, 
but modifying it for a different peripheral 
requires a few additional steps, and the 
process could be confusing to most first- 
time users. For example, the manual does 
not mention that the plotter must be con- 
nected to COM 1 , and there isn’t any way 
to change the COM2 anyway. Careful 
study of the manual does allow you to 
make changes eventually. 

Except for some minor confusion over 
installation, Peachtree’s documentation is 
lucid and useful. A lengthy tutorial walks 
the new user through most major aspects 
of program operation. The main reference 
section is detailed and well written and in- 
cludes a complete glossary and index. 

BGS is not copy protected. Strangely, 
the manual does not mention hard disks, 
but the program seems to work fine on a 
hard disk AT system. 


BGS's on-screen 
graphs are only 
fair, but its 
plotted output is 
first-rate. 

While the program uses the PC’s cursor 
keys well, some of the other key usages are 
not standard. Hitting Return ends the entry 
or editing process rather than moving your 
cursor from field to field. Similarly, the 
Backspace key doesn’t backspace; you 
must use Del instead. None of this takes 
long to get used to, but it’s annoying none- 
theless. 

In spite of the limitations and restric- 
tions, which are real and significant, BGS 
is a good package. It is easy to learn and 
easy to use. Its plotted output is excellent, 
and that the charts can’t be made more 
complex is usually no limitation. Charts 
should be simple to communicate quickly 
and effectively. After all, that’s what busi- 
ness charts are for, isn’t it? • 


Businesu Graphics System Ltl2 
Peachtree Software Inc. 

3445 Peachtree Road, N.E. 

AUanta, GA 30326 
(404) 239-3000 or 239-3165 

CIRCLE 696 ON READEH SERVICE CARD 

UST PRICE: $295 

REQUIRES: 128K RAM. one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Graphics. Plantronics 
Color Plus 

Printtrs-IBM Gr^ihics; ^kod MX 
Pkmerv-Hewlett-Packard 7220, 7470, 7475; 
Strobe S-100, S-200; Houstcm Instruments 3, 
4.6, 7,29 

DOS versions-l.l, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0 
Other operating systems-CP/M (Osborne I) 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-gtm, idx. tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: ncp 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACILITIES: pcf, 
pcd, mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FAClUllES: none 

SCREENTWNIER/FLOTIER 

FACniTIES: 

Hatching-aht, mht 
Color chtMce-acc, mcc 
Legends-acI, none 
Header lines- 1 
Comment lines-1 
Note lines-1 

Comment position-mme 
Type fonts-7 
I Type font sizes- 1,000 
Chart overlays-none 
Axis scaling-aas. mas 
Grid diq>lay-ngd 
Tick preciskm-aip. mtp 
Page adjustmeni-ppa. psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics formats-iKxie 
Staridard formats- ASCII. PeachCalc. 
SuperCalc 

CHART TYPES; 

Column charts-64cls. I2cgs, 32cpg,5ssc, 
noc. 3dc 

Bar charts-64 brs. I2bgs. 32bpg,Sssb, nob. 
3db 

Line chaits-S Ins. 32 ppl, 6 tpl. 6 Ism. utl. 

usm, spl, tcl, idl 
Regression types-Iinear 
Pie charts-12 psl, 23 eps, epv 
Text/word charts-7 fix;, ctx. jtx 
Gantt charts-ncme 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-{K>ne 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts-5 Ins, 32 pis 






BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


PYXEL Visuals 


A Best Bet for Beginning Illustrators 

P YXEL Visuals is an unpretentious 
package that makes it easy to 
produce text or simple illustra- 
tions for paper copies, overhead 
transparencies, or a computer- 
screen slide show. It is not a 
complete business graphics 
package — it won’t create bar, 
pie, and line graphs based on 
your numbers, and there is no 
data interface to spreadsheets. 
Instead, the program allows free- 
hand drawing of simple bar, col- 
umn, and line graphs, with text 
entries in four sizes. 

The PYXEL Visuals disk in- 


IBM AT-Compatible Products 

Beinff Developed 


Mar 1985 Apr 1985 May 1985 Jun 1985 Jul 1985 

1 

17 31 14 28 12 26 9 23 7 21 

Market Research 

1 


Design Specification 

cu 


Development 

1 


Package Design 

1 1 


Documentation Preparation 

r 'n 


Printing 

[IZ 


Manufacture Initial Stock 

1 






ComputerBand Common Stock Price 
Uarrh I9R5 

10 


9 

, 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 

8 

1 1 1 1 1 * * 

7 

1 1 ’ ' ' 

Price ® 

1 i l . . i 1 * * 

per 5 
share ^ 

H 1 1 f t 

3 


2 





1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 2S 26 27 28 29 


Date 


PYXEL Visuals allows freehand drawing of simple bar, 
column, and line graphs. 


204 


PC MAGAZINE e JUNE II, 1985 




/rSCy!E4MS/ 

PCturbo 186" 


The PCturbo 186 is a sophisticated 
product. iani'pacKed with goodies... 
Lightning-like, indeed.^ 

— Winn L. Rosch, PC Magazirie 


'r 




“PCturbo 186. ..speeds up your IBM 
^ PC something wonderful. ..no 

glitches, no problems, and it’s fast. 

• FAST. FAST.” —Jerry Pournelle. BYTE 


m /A'' 


y1DM/VC£OSM/fz n 
S0m/lf/C/fOP/fOC£SSO/f 


■ . .0.5 ‘ .O... • 

I 'Ji _ U \ 

I I 





HVP/rsmmsMS 
MP£/1/?r/ArOl/PPC£OP 
/aff%/sjifCOMPpr/0/i/rr 


VVS.VCV 


» • * >i 





a/s/tcpc0//vGP/vo 

ppMtvsAffmr-a/ 






EXTENDS THE UFE OF YOUR COMPUTER ■ SPEEDS UP 
YOUR EXISTING PC ■ FINISHES JOBS FASTER 


■ Now from Orchid Technology — PCtufbo 186, 

Ihe most practical solution to upgrading the 
performance of your existing IBM PC, XT or 
compatible. Based on the new generation 80186 
prcKesst)r, the PCturbt> 186 runs your application 
programs, such as databases and spreadsheets 
200'>r to 400‘7r faster. 

■ Plugged into your I’C. the PCturbo works 
together with the computer pK>wer you already 
own today. Unlike less powerful imitations, the 
PCturbo works in tandem with the 8088 in your 
PC. It dws not replace it. In this design, the 
8088 handles all the peripheral I/O while the 
PCturbti runs your programs concurrently and 
more efficiently. 

■ The PCturbo is a high speed sv.s/cm, with built-in 
software tools designed to increase all aspects of 
computer performance. Innovatiye software 
allowed Orchid to enhance the PCturbo with many 
powerful features, such as Mainframe style Disk 
Caching and high capacity RAM Disks, speeding 
up the reading and writing of files. 

■ To help take advantage of those powerful soft- 
ware tools, the PCturbo allows you to add up to 


64()K of its own RAM on board. With PCturbo you 
can now have up to 1.28 Megabytes of RAM in 
one system — double the previous limit of the IBM 
PC! This frees the extra RAM in your PC to be used 
for increasing I/O performance. 

■ With the PCturbo there are no new Operating 
System manuals to read, keyboards to learn, or 
s^>ecial software verskuis to buv- When vou plug 
the PCturbo board into your IBM PC or compatible 
PC. every’thing works just like it did the day 
before — only faster! The PCturbt> was designed to 
be easy to install and transparent to the user. 
Installation dties not void the warranty on your PC. 
as with some other offerings. Just plug il in, turn 
it on, and speed it up! 

■ The PCturbo is a proven product, introduced in 
N84. Since then, we've created a custom VLSI 
(Very l,arge Scale Integration) chip which improves 
the cost/performance ratio of the board even more. 
Our exclusive TurboBus Expansion capability 
allow's vou to add on new Turbt^ options such as 
the Serial Port Daughtercard. Continuing in our 
tradition. Orchid is first with the most in high per- 
formance PC enhancements. 

CIRCLE 177 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PCturbo 186 is the most practical 
solution to making your operation 
more efficient and pri>ductive.Now 
isn't that what you bought a com- 
puter for in the first place? 


A 

ORCHID 

ORCl IID TEC! INOLOG Y 
47790 Westinghouse Drive 
Fremont, CA 94539 
(415) 49(V8586 Telex: 709289 

PC'turKt IKS ift a Iradi'm4rk <>t Orchid 
Tfihnology IBM jnd IBM PC arc 
tradcm.irks of Inlcrn.itumj] Business 
M.ichinc' Corpor.itiiin 


/Vccwnting 


QUICK. 

NAME THE ONLY PRODUa THAT 
CREATES DATA RASES, SPREADSHEETS AND GRAPHS 
DIRECTLY FROM DPI ACCOUNTING DATA. 


**AURA has helped me nuudmiie profits by giving nw the fksdbility to see my accomrtiiig 
data in spreadsheet and 0:aphic form without re-entering the biformation.** 





Kevin Taylor It's possible with AURA. Now you can 
KK Glass take your BPI accounting data and put it 

Lubbock, Texas information management, 

spreadsheet, word prcxiessing, graphics and communi- 
cation functions. All without ever re-entering any of the 
data. And, all of AURAs functions are fully menu-driven 
and totally integrated. 

The power of AURA is limited only by your 

imagination. Prepare a spreadsheet showing 
budget versus actual using your BPI General 
Accounting data. Organize your customers 
geographically by delivery area by sorting 
BPI Accounts Receivable data. Graph 
year-to-date purchases from vendors 
with BPI Accounts Payable information. 
Send a customized letter to each of your 
employees that includes sick day infor/ 
mation from BPI Payroll. Chart inventory 
cost layers using BPI Inventory Control 
information. 


See how to make BPI accounting files 
do even more for you. With AURA . . . 
the BPI accounting partner. 


SVSrTEIVIS^ 

BUSINESS SOFTWARE THAT 
GOES BEYOND ACCOUNTING. 

3001 &£E CAVE RO. AUSTIN. TX 78746 
8PI md BPI SyMT. » indwnvlu el BPI SyMra. Inc 


CIRCLE 186 ON READER SERVICE CARD 










BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


eludes a program called SHOWTIME that 
lets you link a series of pictures and display 
them on the screen in sequence. A separate 
utility program, BATCHPRINT . prints out 
a series of pictures from a composite file 
made through either BATCHPRINT or 
SHOWTIME and adds such refinements 
as proportional spacing. 

Graphics created with PYXEL Visuals 
include up to 48 lines of text along with 
straight lines and simple figures (boxes, 
triangles, and so forth) with no fill pat- 
terns. The text comes in four sizes in either 
of two boldface fonts and looks good on a 
dot matrix printer, better on a pen plotter. 
The version we tested, 1.5. prints in black 
only, but the new 2.0 release lets you spec- 
ify one color per screen. 

For each line of text, the program asks 
for the character size and the words. The 
text entr\’ field shows a ruler-line measure 
of the number of characters you can enter 
on one line, which varies depending on 
your character-size selection. There is no 
lab function, but you can create columns of 
titles or numbers by aligning text entries 
against the ruler line. 

After the text is entered on the screen in 
the normal screen size, you can display it 
in the size you specified with a simple key- 
stroke. You can reposition the lines verti- 
cally for better design or to make room for 
lines or boxes. 

To draw a line, you select the Line op- 
tion . use the arrow keys to position a mark- 
er at the beginning of the line, press FI. 
then position the marker at the ending 
point and. again, press F2. By repeating 
this process, you can draw bar charts, line 
graphs, tables, and charts showing text in 
box frames. The process is time-consum- 
ing. but it is easy enough to prtxluce an 
easy-to-read, neatly arranged visual. 

PYXEL' s editing facility has some good 
and bad features. You can easily change 
words or add new lines at the end of the 
picture (good), but you can’t insert new 
lines between existing lines (bad). When 
revising an existing line, the old line ap- 
pears above the new as a guide and isn’t re- 
placed until the new line is entered (good). 
But when adding lines. PYXEL doesn’t 
display the previous lines (bad). 

After lining up text on the screen, you 
may find additional adjustments are re- 
quired before printing. If. for example, the 


titles on a chart are not centered satisfacto- 
rily. you can simply edit the lines and in- 
sert and delete spaces. However, if you 
then use the BATCHPRINT \x\\\\iy with the 
same chart, the standard display font will 
be replaced by proportionally spaced char- 
acters, and your adjustments will throw' off 
the justification. Furthermore, it is difficult 
to space ticks and other markers, a serious 
flaw when exact plotting is needed. In all 
fairness, the package has no pretensions to 
these features — it is intended for text and 
simple line work. 

lt*s Showtime 

The SHOWTIME program lets you 
display a series of screens in sequence as a 
slide show. The show can be run automati- 
cally. changing displays at a preset inter- 
val. or so that each display can be ad- 
vanced or reversed at the touch of a key. 
Following the simple directions in the 
PYXEL Visuals manual, SHOWTIME 
was easy to get up and running. Through 
BATCHPRINT. you can print out a com- 
posite file set up for SHOWTIME. 

BATCHPRINT can also help you print 
up to 24 stored files in sequence. You need 
only specify the order in which the files are 
to appear, set the format for printing, and 
recall the composite file’s name. BATCH- 
PRINT does not use the same character set 
as PYXEL Visuals. It prints text in the 
widely-used Hershey typeface, uses pro- 
portional spacing, and outputs in higher 
resolution than is possible with a graphic 
screen dump. The BATCHPRINT manual 
offers guidelines to avoid or minimize the 
problems that result when converting to 
proportional spacing. 

One data disk can hold up to 42 screens 
because the information required to make 
the display is stored in ASCII format, not 
screen pixels. This generous cap>acity is 
handy when grouping files for SHOW- 
TIME or BArC/ZmAT. 

Thanks to the well-written manual and 
clear, simple menus, even a beginner can 
quickly leam to produce simple visuals. 
However, the manual has no index. The 
program’s help messages are good. 

If you’re new- to business graphics, con- 
sider starting with a package like PYXEL 
Visuals. It’s easy to leam, easy to use. and 
produces nice graphic presentations for a 
relatively low investment. B 


P^XELVisualsIii 

Pyxel Applications 
29 1 7 Mohawk Drive 
Richmond. VA 23235 
(804) 320-5573 

CIRCLE 67S ON READER SERVICE CARD 

UST PRICE: PYXEL Visual. $98; 
BATCHPRINT. $75 

REQUIRES: 1 28K. one disk drive 

SLfPPORTS: 

Video boanls-IBM Color/Graphics or 
compatible 

Priniers-Epson Graftrax; IBM Graphics: Star 
Micronics Gemini; C. Iioh Prowritcr 85 10 
Plotters-none 
DOS versionv-1. 0-3.0 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tuiorial-ptu 

Manual-tcs 

COPV PROTECTION: nep 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACILITIES: ssh 
asd. msd 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FACIUTIES: 

Hatching-aht. nht 
Color choice-hcc 
Lcgends-mcl. vIp 
Header lines- 24 
Comment lincs-24 
Note lines-24 
Comment position-vcp 
Type fonts- 1 
Type font sizes-4 
Chart overlays-none 
Axis scaling-mas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick precision-mtp 
Page adjusiment-ppa. hva 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb. iff 
Graphics formats-none 
Standard formats-none 

PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS: 

Design method-fsd. std 
User interface-30 rwp. 60 top. tmu 
Type fonts and sizes- 1,4,2 
Partem handling-none 
Drawing tool^idr 
Predefined charts and images-none 
Other business chart formats-none 
Image libraries-none 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 


207 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 

btGRAF 


Easygoing Compatibility 

B ig Trees Software's blGRAF is a 
plain-vanilla graphics package 
that provides an easy, if slow, 
procedure for creating x-y charts , 
pie charts, high-low charts, and 
several types of bar charts. The 
progtam is easy to use and has a 
limited number of options for 
producing rather simple charts on 
a wide variety of output devices. 

btGRAF comes on one disk, 
with an additional disk of printer 
and plotter drivers. The program 
itself is easy to install, but the 
documentation lacks some of the 
specific instructions required to 
install the plotter that was used 
fox PC Magazine’% tests. 

Like other programs designed 
to tun on almost any machine — 
under CP/M as well as DOS — 
btGRAF isn't geared to take ad- 
vantage of the IBM PC's special 
features: It doesn't use the key- 
board's function or cursor keys. 


nor does it allow video highlighting or 
movement around the screen. It can't dis- 
play graphs on-screen, even with the IBM 
Color/Graphics Adapter and Color Dis- 
play. 

In order to enter data you must answer a 
series of questions or choose menu selec- 
tions that appear on the screen. Most of the 
screens display only one question at a time 
unless they are showing multiple-choice 
lists. Aside from the text entered for labels 
on a chart, all questions asked by btGRAF 
must be answered in uppercase letters. 
This annoying requirement caused a great 
number of data entry errors during testing. 
Data may be imported into the program 
from ASCII files. Data originating from a 
BASIC program is the easiest type to im- 
port. The graph definition files that are set 
up by btGRAF can also be easily read from 
BASIC. 

Though btGRAF's options are limited, 
it is obvious that some careful thought 
went into its design. As the program goes 
through questions and answers, it accumu- 


lates information from early questions that 
will make the later questions more specif- 
ic. One example of this is that once you 
have typed in legend labels and labels for 
groups in a bar chart, btGRAF will request 
data values by referring to these legend and 
group labels. This ability makes btGRAF 
an extremely easy program to use. 

The main chart title may be up to four 
lines long; labels for legends and the x and 
y axes may be a maximum of two lines 
each. For column graphs, the minimum 
and maximum y-axis values must be speci- 
fied before the data can be entered. The 
program will automatically label ticks on 
the vertical axis; these automatically de- 
rived vertical value labels may be replaced 
by other numbers or increments if you 
wish. The spacing of the ticks, however, 
cannot be changed. 

After answering a number of questions. 
btGRAF will go through the questions a 
second time to confirm that all your an- 
swers are correct. You may change data or 
labels by typing in new values at that time, 
and then the program will again ask if any 
changes have to be made. You have, there- 
fore, three opportunities to enter or change 
data. Finally, if you let all three opportuni- 
ties to change entries go by, you can still 
change a chart's specifications through the 
program's main menu. Although this ap- 
proach gives you more flexibility, if you 
are generally an accurate typist and you 
know what you want on the first round, the 
forced double-checking can seem time- 
consuming. There is no way to direct 
btGRAF to change one particular data item 
without going through a whole series of 
questions, each of which requires some re- 
sponse, even if it is simply pressing Re- 
turn. 

Since the graph you are working on 
isn't displayed on the screen, you have to 
print or plot the graph to see how it looks. 
btGRAF supports at least 44 different 
printers and plotters, and the drivers for 
each come on the second floppy disk. Of 



208 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 


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these, up to three drivers can be copied 
horn the driver disk to the main program 
disk, so you can switch between these 
three for printing. 

PC Magazine tested the program on a 
Hewlett-Packard 7475A six-pen plotter. 
One of three chart sizes may be specified in 
a chart's definition: large (14 x 11 inch- 
es), medium (11x8 inches) or small (VA 
X 6 inches). 

For compatibility with all machines 
running MS-DOS (not Just the IBM com- 
patibles), the program uses the DOS paral- 
lel printer output facility for output rather 
than using the BIOS serial interface func- 
tion calls or manipulating the I/O ports di- 
rectly. The manual doesn’t explain, how- 
ever, that since the Hewlett-Packard 
plotter uses a serial port on the PC, a 
MODE redirection command is necessary 
before you can plot graphs from the serial 
port. 

PC Magazine’s testers had a problem 
with critical errors during plotting. Critical 
errors are those that produce cryptic mes- 
sages like: “Not Ready Error Writing De- 
vise PRN. Abort, Retry, Ignore?” Often 
when such errors occurred, some data 
would wind up being lost, and characters 
would appear in strange places or whole 
lines would go soaring off to an edge of the 
plot. Big Trees should have programmed 
btCRAF to intercept the critical error inter- 


mpt and deal with this problem on its own, 
so that data would not be lost. You 
shouldn’t have to keep hitting R (Retry) 
every few minutes while you’re plotting a 
graph. 

With all these problems, it may be a 
while before you can actually see a correct- 
ly plotted graph. When you finally do, you 
will notice some problems you cannot re- 
solve: These graphs look dull, since all let- 
tering is done in the same font. Moreover, 
printing vertical labels as a column of hori- 
zontal characters looks particularly strange 
if the label contains parentheses or quota- 
tion marks. 

On the other hand, biGRAF claims 
some advantages that may influence your 
purchase decision: For example, if your 
office uses a lot of different equipment, but 
you want everyone to use the same graph- 
ics package, biGRAF comes in versions 
that run under MS-DOS or CP/M-86. Or, 
if you have a particular printer or plotter 
that other graphics packages do not sup- 
port, perhaps it may be one of the 44 de- 
vices btGRAF supports. Also, since many 
graphics packages require a color monitor 
or a graphics card, you may be relieved to 
fmd that btGRAF will run on a mono- 
chrome display without problems. Still, 
we think the package is slightly overpriced 
at $295 in a market as competitive as 
this. ■ 


btGRAF ZM 

Big Trees Software Corporation 
P.O. BoxD 
Arnold, CA 95223 
(209)795-5104 


CIHCLEeBgQNnEADCRSEBVICECAHO 

USTnaCE:S295 

REQUIRES: I28K-I92K RAM, one disk 
drive (two lecammended) 

SUPrORTS; 

Video bosfds-eny 

Printers-Diablo (daisy); NEC (daisy); ()iiiiie 
(daisy); IDS Prism; Oiddata Microliiie; C. Iloh 
Prowriter, Datasouth DS180;DiabloS32; 
Aiiadex9S00 

Pkxters-Hewlett-Packaid 7470A, 7473 A; 

Strobe 100, 260; Amdek; Sweer-P; Houston 
Instruments; Western Giajihtec MPIOOO 
DOS veiaions-2.0, 2. 1, 3.0 
Other operating systems-CP/M 

DOCUMENTATKm; 

Tutorial-ntu 
Manual-gtm, tcs 

CWY FROTECnON: ncp 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FAOLniES: pcf, 
mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACnXnESi none 

SCREENVRlNTEIUPUnTER 

FACnXriES: 

Halching-nht 
(Tolorchoioe-mcc 
Legends-mci 
Header lines-4 
Comment lines-none 
Note lines-none 
Comment positkm-iiooe 
Typefbnis-none 
lype font sizes-iione 
Ch^ overlays-nooe 
Axis scaling-mas 
Griddisplay-mgd 
Tick ptecision-mtp 
Page adjustment-psa 

INPUTS: 

Souices-ikb 
Graphics foimais-none 
Staiidard formats-ASCn 

CHART TVPES: 

Column charts-48 cis, 24 cgs, 3 cpg, 3 ssc, 
noc 

Barcharts-none 

Line dtarts-S Ins, 36 ppl, 3 tpl, spl, rpl 
Regression types-linear 
Pie char1s-20 psl, 20 eps, epv 
Text/woid chaits-fione 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-24 Oil 
Surface-area chart»-5 Ins 


0DiIiut8rBg|rt 


flrlce 



You haw to print or plot a graph In order to SM how n looks. 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II, 1985 


211 


NINE THINGS TO CHECK 

GRAPHICS 

dra wing capability 
STATISTICS 
mainframe link 
PC COMPATIBILITY 


^JcORPORATE USE 
9 PRICE 



s 

>■ VrI 


‘M 

I 

[F 




fyr 




ENERTRONICS 


SEEING IS BELIEVING 


WHEN YOU BUY BUSINESS 

SOFTWARE. 






Presentation Business Graphics 
EnerGraphics delivers pie charts, 
flowcharts, bar charts, line graphs and 
more with easy interface to Lotus 1-2-3, 
MultiPlan and other spread sheets. 

You 'll learn It quickly because we 're 
menu-driven. 


3-D Object i Surface Dra wings 
EnerGraphics gives you entry-level 
3-D CAD features such as zoom, rotate 
and hidden line removal 


Drawing Capability With EnerGraphics. 
simple keystroke commands enable 
you to create text, flow, gantt, pert and 
organization charts with the capability 
to enlarge, reduce, rotate, draw, modify, 
duplicate and overlay. 



Statistics EnerGraphics enables you 
to analyze data using linear and log 
scales to do linear and polynomial 
regression. Statistical information can 
be represented in scatter graphs. 


SLIDE 


Stide Show Any of our attractive graph- 
ics can be converted into color orb&w 
slides, or overhead or on-screen pres- 
entations using the Polaroid Palette. 


Mainframe Link Our new EnerConnect 
program allows you to combine 
PC-based graphics with mainframe 
graphics such as GDDM, fSSCO'S Tel- 
A-Graf^ Dissplafi and fGES data files. 


FORTUNE 



Corporate Use You 'll find EnerGraphics 
is the graphics sohware choice of over 
100 leading corporations with more 
being added all of the time. 


PC Compatibility EnerGraphics can 
give you an almost unlimited number of 
graphics applications on Wang. Tl. 

IBM PC/ XT/ AT. 3270/PC and 
compatibles. 


Price At a retail price of just $350 ($450 
with plotter) EnerGraphics actually 
costs less than many packages that 
offer only a few of these features. 

EnerGraphics. Brought to you by the 
specialists in graphics application 
software. 

Find out why users rate us at the top 
among stand alone business graphic 
packages. Just check with your local 
EnerGraphics dealer today. 


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ENT^ 



CIRCLE 134 ON READER SERVICE CARD 









BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Hypergraphics 

Live-Wire Interactive Graphics 


T ired of being locked into a one- 
way flow of information with 
presentation graphics systems? 

The Hypergraphics Presentation 
Graphics System is your key to 
two-way presentations. It sup- 
plies a key ingredient that is 
missing from other business 
graphics packages: interactive 
presentations. You can use Pre- 
sentation Graphics System with 
its compatible authoring lan- 
guage, Authoring Graphics Sys- 
tem, to produce dynamic dis- 
plays of text and graphics that Presentation Grap/i/cs is a full-service business 
allow viewer input, such as que,s- graphics package that requires no programming. 



In5tK*'unent F&nilies UsesA wi tH MIDI 
As of Januax'y 1985 


Keyboax'd G0y: 



Gui tax» 20y. 

Source : AMA CoMputerBand 

84 Market Survey Marketing Dept 

Ma 


214 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 




tions and choices. The authoring system 
costs extra, but it may be a good invest- 
ment for trainers, sales and marketing de- 
partments, and others who need interactive 
graphics presentations. 

Used alone. Presentation Graphics is a 
full-service graphics package that requires 
no programming to enhance the standard 
charts and graphs with prestored images, 
animations, and freehand drawing. The 
program even offers a slide-show feature, 
so that you don’t have to hassle with 35- 
millimeter slides. You just show your 
graphics right from the screen. 

Live- Wire Graphics 

From the moment you boot up the tuto- 
rial, you see that Presentation Graphics 
can create some colorful, live-wire dis- 
plays. The tutorial disk is one of the pack- 
age's virtues because it impressively 
shows off the system and helps you get 
started. Created by both the Authoring and 
Presentation systems, the tutorial interacts 
with you by asking questions and giving 
feedback to your responses. 

Presentation Graphics gives you three- 
dimensional pie charts and 12 varieties of 
3-D type fonts. It also offers you such fea- 
tures as animation, geometric shapes, col- 
or fills, free-form drawings, and predrawn 
images to spmce up your two-dimensional 
graphics. You can enter data manually or 
can transfer it from spreadsheet packages, 
such as 1-2-3, that use DIF files. 

The graphing option offers the standard 
graphs, including bar, line, stacked bar, 
pie, 3-D bar, and area graphs. And once 
you create the basic graph, you can en- 
hance it in various ways. The freehand 
drawing option lets you draw simple geo- 
metric shapes, fill and cut-and-paste im- 
ages, and bring in images from other files. 
You can also call up and enhance such 
prestored images as computer objects, bor- 
ders, fonts, world geography, and U.S. 
maps. Other prestoted libraries include 
rather simple line drawings of standard ob- 
jects. Unfortunately, most of the graphics 
ate drawings of single objects rather than 
full-screen images and often lack the slick 
look of art department graphics. 

Some problems with Presentation 
Graphics surfaced during the editing 
phase. Once when a screen was loaded for 
editing, erased, and then recalled the pro- 


Hypcrgraphics Presentation Graphics 
2.1 and Authoring Graphics 

^tem 

Hypergraphics Corporation 
207 W. Hickory, #202 


gram flashed an error message (complete 
with a line number reference) and then 
abruptly exited to IX3S. Another annoying 
quirk is that you must add the drive infor- 
mation to each graphic that you plan to 
store. The manual recommends that you 
place the program disk in drive A: and the 
data disk in drive B: so that the storage in 
drive B: is automatic. 

The manual is definitely not as much 
fun as the program. It claims to be a refer- 
ence manual (rather than a training man- 
ual) yet it contains no index. It would be 
mote helpful to see a variety of visual ex- 
amples that the program can create, but it 
shows only a few graphics. In addition, in- 
consistencies abound both within the man- 
ual and between the manual and the pro- 
gram. However, they are minor and 
should not cause any serious problems. 
The manual gives no directions for using 
the program on a hard disk. 

Unfortunately, the software is copy 
protected. But this is not a serious problem 


From the moment 
you boot up the 
tutorial, you see that 
Presentation 
Graphics can create 
colorful, live-wire 
displays. 

because the company includes the master 
disk with the basic package. 

The unique advantage of Presentation 
Graphics is that it is compatible with an 
authoring system that allows you to tailor 
the package to meet your needs and create 
interactive presentations. You can ask 
viewers questions and branch to other 
screens and sequences depending on their 
answers; they also can input choices and 
control the sequence of the presentation, 
jumping ahead or returning to previous 
screens as desired. 

Presentation Graphics is a power- 
packed program that you can coax into 
producing outstanding presentations, in- 
cluding interactive tutorials, if you are 
willing to invest the time and energy. B 


Denison, TX 7620! 

(817)565-0004 

CIRCLE 664 ON READER SERVgE CARD 

UST PRICE: Presentation Graphics, S349; 
Authoring Graphics, $395 

REQUIRES: I92K RAM, one disk drive 
SUPPCHnS: 

Video boaids-IBM Color/Gr^)hics or 
con^tible 

Printors-IBM Gr^)hics; Epson Graftrax 

Ploners-none 

IX)S version5-2.0, 2. 1 

Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-stu 

ManuaMcs 

COPir PROTECTION: hdk 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: pcf , 
ped 

SCREEN OIAPHICS FACnJIlES: ssb, 
asd.msd 

SCRE EN/P RINTER/PLOTTER 

FACniTlES: 

Hab;hing~mht 
Color ch(Mce-mcc 
Legends-mcl 
Header lines-2 
Comment lines-none 
Note lines-none 
Comment positi(m-fq> 

T^fonts-I 
Type femt sizes-! 

Chart ovcriays-2 
Axis scaling-mas 
Grid disptay-ngd 
Tick precisicxwitp 
Page adjustment-none 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb, iff 

Graphics fewmats-any sciten gnq^hic 
Standard formats-DIF 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-none 

Bar charts-bfs unspecified, bgs unspecified, !3 
bpg, 13 ssb, nob, 3db 
Linecharts-131ns,64ppl. 1 q>l 
Regression types-none 
Pie charts- 1 3 psi , epv 
Text/wofdchuts-i fpc 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-none 
BubMe charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts-13 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


Cc 


215 



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OUR POLICY 

Wp accept Mastercard & Visa (with no Surcharge'), money orders, certified checks, personal checks (allow 10 days for processing). COD. Company/lnstitut tonal P O 's 
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Outside Texas (800)531-5475 circle 228 on reader service card 12103 Technology Austin, TX. 78727. 






BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


TelePaint 


Only a Preview of the Next Wave of Business Graphics 


T elePaint is a MacPaint clone that 
does MacPaint one better. Like 
MacPaint and other paint pro- 
grams, TelePaint turns your key- 
board into a paintbrush and pal- 
ette so that you can draw shapes 
on the screen, specify colors, 
move elements around, and in- 
corporate elements from a library 
into your work on the screen. But 
TelePaint doesn’t stop there. 

TelePaint' % trump card is that 
it can capnire any image you put 
on your screen from any other 
program, as long as that image is 
four-color and medium-resolu- 


IBin-HT Compatible Products 



prepored by ConkpcrterBcmd Inc 
florke'tiny D^ortment 
f1orch^99S 


TelePaInt's colorful Images do not translate 
well to paper owing to severe output limitations. 



218 


PC MAGAZINE# JUNE 11. 1985 


If You IJse1'2'3, 

You Need The Graf ix Partner! 



A Keystroke Away, The Graf ix Partner 
Enhances Any Graphic Created By Other Programs. . . 


Other 

Business 

Graphics 



Can Look 
Like This 



GRAFIX PARTNER Do Free Form Art 

The Graphics Enhancement Utility That Sits In Background In Stand-Alone Mode 



It’s always there, ready to pop-up beMnd 1-2-3 or any 
spreadsheet with graphics or any other graphics program. 

Use Zoom, Undo, make a slide show with Cycle, change colors, use 
patterns. Paint, Repaint, Draw, add Text using any of 20 Fonts provided, add 
logos. Transfer art and logos, Erase, cut & paste, highlight, airbrush, rubber- 
stamp, and more. 

The GRAFIX PARTNER is a graphics utility that uses all of the power of 
your graphics hardware and adds its capabilities to your graphics software. The 
Grafix Partner works with Polaroid Palette and will drive popular plotters and 
printers. The above images are from transparencies made by the Polaroid Palette. 

The GRAFIX PARTNER is also available for 16 color and higher resolution boards with up to 136 colors. 


The Grafix Partner M49. 


To order, mail form below today, or CALL 315/474-3400 




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315-474-3400 


Lotus and t-2-3 are trademarks of Lotus Deveiopmeni Corporation 
Polaroid Paliette is a trademark ot ttie Polaroid Corporation. 

The Grafix Partner « a trademark of Bnghtbrfl-Roberts and Company. Ltd. Olympic art by Mike Sullivan 


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3006 

CM 

Flip N’ File 

20.00 

HOWARD SOFT 


OHGM SYSTEMS 


Ward Attack 

33.00 

Coler 600 

. 425.00 

HAYES 


Real Estate Aneiyier II 

. . 165.00 

Mtime III 

39.00 

DiSIGNWAH 


Color 710 

600.00 

Jeytlkks 

CoN 

IIRTHE SOFTWAH 


K SOfTWAH 


Craatvre Creator 

27.00 

PCS 


WRCUUS 


Valkswriter Deluxe 

164.00 

AfflKhair Ouettefbock 

34.00 

Crypto Cube 

27.00 

HXI2 

467.00 

Color Graphics 

169.00 

UVW6 VIDfOTIXT 


ChofflpioflslHp Meckjock 

24.00 

Moth Mate 

27.00 

Max 12 

115.00 

Mertachrame Graphics 

329.00 

Think Tank 

. . 99.00 

Chess 2001 

2100 

Spellkopter 

. 27.M 

QUADRA M 


KENSINGTON 


LOTUS DEVELOPMENT 


SEGA CONSUMER PRODUCH 


Spelleketan 

27.00 

Quodchreme 

. ..CaH 

Mostitpitce . . . . 

95.00 

l-T-T/Symphony 

CaN 

luck Rogers 

29.50 

Spellogroph 

37.00 

TAXAN 


KEYTRONK 


MAIN STHET SOFTWAH 


Congo Range 

29 JO 

DLM. 


122-12" Amber 

135.00 

Kevboerd SISO 

159.00 

Mein Street Filer 

. . 179.00 

Stertrek 

29.50 


24.00 

RGI 420 

310.00 


II m in.oo 

II $i$i mm IS9.M 

KOAIA 

l»olo Pod 11.00 

fAIAOtSi SYSKMS 

Hodvlor Grophki Cord 355.00 

PoroAtl Prinlir pMt 62.00 

HRSrST 

Color Grophkt loord 235.00 

Monorhremt 245.00 

OUAOUM 

Eipondtd Quod loord (01). . . . 235.00 
Eipondod Quod loord (641) . . . 260.00 
Quod loord II (641) 255.00 

sn 

Supor 1/0 Col 

Grophkt Pkn II CoM 

lie-PIvt (641) CM 

TAUGtA5S 

Hord Onk CoM 

THUNMIWAU 

Thundorclock Col 

Blank Madia 

Vifkotim DS/DO CoH 

Moxtl OS/DO 35.00 

Business 

AlPHA 

Dofoboit Mofloogot II 179.00 

AmKO SOFTWAH TECHNOLOGY 

Vtruferm 235.00 

ASHTON TATE 

Frofflooork Col 

d loit » 249.00 

diosolll Cdl 

IPt 

Goftorol Arrounting 360.00 

U/ht/n 360.00 

CONTMENTAl SOfTWAH 

HoiM Afcevnteirf Pfoi 19.00 

Pfopofty Monogomunt 320.00 

KH 79.00 

Thu Tui Advontogu 45M 

OICITAl KSEARCH 

CPH/16 36M 

( Compiltr (PC DOS) 2TI.00 

Dr logo 64.00 

DOW JONES 

Morktl Anulyief 225.00 

Horktt Hotrogir T93.00 

Spruodthual link 149.00 

Norkut NkruKopu 209.00 

RNANGil MC 

TinoKitr II IT4.00 

MX « GCIUI 

D DNIitv 54.00 

Qukkcudu 145.00 


99.00 


96.00 


MIU 

Menoging Ywr Monty 109.00 

MKROGRAPH X 

PC Drew 270.00 

mcROPto 

Warthloi Porkegtt CaM 

MKRORM 

I bnt 4000 27540 

Clootll 145.00 

MKROSOn 

HuMplon 117.( 

Word 225.00 

Word With Memt . . . 205.00 
MKROSTUT 
Crusttolk . . . 

MONOGRAM 
Oolleri 4 Stntt - 
MULTIMATE Ml 
Multimolt ..... C*! 

PEACHTREE 

lock la loMi . 165.00 
PROHSSIONAl SOFTWAH 

Word Phrt C«N 

Word PItn Jr. CaR 

SOnWAH PMtISHING 

PfS: leport 79.00 

PfS: Write 79.00 

PFS: Groph 79.00 

PFS: File 79.00 

SOROM 

Super Cak II 149.00 

Super Cak III 237.00 

Entertoinment 

EPYX/AUTOMATEO SMUUTIONS 


Zaixan 29.50 Hcte« Multipliration . 


SiRRA 

Fraggtr 24.00 OtmeKtien Oivhien 

UhiiMlI 39.00 EDUWAH 

ChanpMMhip loxiag 24.00 


Mkiiefl 24.00 

24.00 



Algebra I 21.00 

HARCOURT MAO iOVANOVKH 

Cofflpvttr SAT 56.00 

Grt Test 6100 

HUMAN EDGE 

Monegernenl Edge 165.00 

es Edge 165.00 

negotiation Edge . . 165.00 
LEARNING CO. 

Mogk SpeRs 24. 

Moptawn Hatel 



SM-nCH SOFTWAH 

Wizardry 1 39.00 

Cn»k Crwnble 4 Chea.^ 2140 STRAnGK SIMULATIONS 

2040 latlie for Normandy 29.00 

The Worp Factor 29.00 

H OP Tigan la Tka Siww 29.00 

M.OO SUHOGIC 

' Mniiaa PinbaN 26.00 


Ttmpla a( Aprhai - 

nuicMP 

laran 


Tytaan 30.00 «0» 

•ROOiRSUNO SOFTWAH 

Lada tumiar 2340 

S e rpan N iie 2100 ATI 

Sargen IH 34.00 lAMON'S EDUCATIONAL SIR! S 

MfOCOM 


Educational 


Al traning program 4100 


Computer SAT 5540 

29.97 CtSIOfTWAH 

Eitchenter 29.97 Gerea't Iridge 5100 

29.97 Mastering The SAT 99.00 

29.97 Murder ly The Ooien 24.00 

29.97 Match Vm 20.00 

27.00 CSfX 


Witness 

Zetk I. . II . . Ill . . . 

Seaitelker 27.00 AN Iroming programs . 


COUNTERPOINT SOFTWAH 

Miner 7049er 25.00 Early Gomes far Yeung C 


in the Caribbean 2540 

The Heisl 25.( 


Eorly Games Fraction Factory . 
Early Games Match Maker . . . 


30.00 

20.00 

30.00 


SURIOtOUGH 

Master Type 3100 

lun For The Money. . 3100 
SCNOLASTK 

Turtle Trocb 3100 

SIMON A SCHUSHR 
Typing Tutor III . . 30.00 


SPMNARIR SOFTWAH 

Alphobtt Zaa 19.00 

Oeltg Orawirsg 3100 

Fore Maker 23.00 

Fraction Fever 23.00 

Kindercamp 19.00 

Stary Machine ... 19.00 

Kids on Keys 19.00 

Snaaper Troops SI 24.97 

Snaapar Troops #2 34.97 

Modems 

ANCHOR AUTOMATION 

Mark XIM200 249.00 

Mark Volks Modem 1200 179.00 

HAYES 

1200 I 350.00 

Smortmodem 1200 (EXT.) 475.00 

Internal 12001 (WIS.) 390.00 

NOVATION 

Access 1-2-3 305.00 

Small Cot 300-1200 (IN.) 325.00 

JCol 99.00 

PROMETHEUS 

Pro Modem 12001 (WtS.| 300.00 


Pnnters 

MOTHER 

HK-2$ 

C ITON 

Preuaiter ISTOAP 

Praariler 4S10 SP 

DYNAX 

DX15 

EPSON 

FX N 

FX 100 

RX N n 

10 1500 

JUKI 

6100 

NEC 

NEC Printers 

ORIDATA 

92 P 

93 P 

SHVIR HED 

E»p 400 

Eip SOO 

Eip $50 

Exp 770 

STAR MKRONIG 

Gemini SGK) 

Gemini SGIS . 

Power Type 

Radix SGIO 

Radix SR1S 


CM 

CMI 


CoN 

CM 

Call 


CoN 

CM 


. .CaM 

Can 

CaR 


CM 

CM 

CM 

CM 


Specials 

ALPHA 

Electric Desk K 119.00 

Electric Desk Jr, 177.00 

KNLIAND 

Turbo Pescel 34.00 

Side Kick 34.00 

IROOERtUNO 

lank Street Writer 47.W 

aNTRAL POINT 

Copy PC 23.00 

HARVARD 

Prajetl Manager 235.00 

MOUSE SYSHME 

Mouse 160.00 

PETER NORTON 

Norton Utilities 41M 

Rosfson 

Prokey 3.0 79.00 

SAnum SOFTWAH 

Ward Perfect 225.M 

SOFTWAH ARTS 

TX Solver 240.00 

SPECTRUM HOLORYTE 

Goto 2100 


If something you would like is not listed, just coll. For inquiries and Connecticut Orders Coll (203) 268-1850. 



For Fost Delivery send cashier's check, cerliFied check or morsey order. Personal and compony check allow 3 weeks lo cleor. Shipping — Softwore (52.50 minimum). C O.D 
add on additional $1.75. Shipping — Kordware(pleosecoll). Alaska, Hawoii, Canado, PO, APO, and FPO 55.00 minimum. Foreign orders— $15.00 minimum and 15% of all 
orders over 5 100- Mastercord &Viso (include cord no. ondexpirolion dote). Connecticut residents odd 7.5% soles lax. We ship same day For most orders. Prices subject to change 
without notice. School purchose orders occepted. All returns must hove o return outhonzolion number. Coll 203-26B-I850lo obtain one before returning goods for replacement 
CIRCLE 126 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


tion, so that you can work on it with all of 
TelePaint'% artistic tools. If the output of 
your business graphics package is sensible 
but pedestrian, TelePaini can make it live- 
ly. In combination, TelePaim's paint and 
image-captiue features point to the next 
level of business graphics software. 

The program requires a mouse and 
256K of RAM. Installing TelePaini is sim- 
ply a matter of putting the program disk 
into the B: drive or loading it onto your 
hard disk. However, the handling of data 
fries is not as simple: The data disk must al- 
ways be in drive A:. Similarly, you must 
copy the 16 available fonts from the pro- 
gram to each data disk before you use 
them. 

Gettiiig the Image 

Capturing an image is straightforward. 
After you insert the TelePaini disk or go to 
the TelePaini subdirectory on your hard 
disk, you type SAVEGRAF to load the 
image<apturE utility into memory. You 
can now remove the TelePaini disk, load 
your business graphics software, and cre- 
ate a graphic. Once TelePaini saves the 
image to disk with the extension .SC, it's 
available for enhancement. 

Like its Apple ancestor, TelePaini uses 
pop-up windows, pull-down menus, and 
scores of icons. Two innovative features 
available through the menus ate the ability 
to swap two colors on the screen and to 
create your own palette. You can also 
specify the width of your paintbrush tips 
and can design your own fill patterns. 

TelePaini’s placement feature allows 
you to layer design elements. You draw or 
place a design element in one of three 
modes: You place your element either over 
or under another image, or replace another 
image. This ability is extremely helpful for 
typing text over axes and grid lines and for 
incorporating symbols and pictures on a 
graph. 

Magnification 

TelePaini's Magnify option is the PC 
equivalent of MacPainTs Fat Bits. You 
use an on-screen magnification box to en- 
large one small rectangular area of the 
“canvas” at a time. Then you can add or 
remove pixels to smooth jagged curves 
and subtly alter a line. 

TelePaim's cut-and-paste feature is 


called Make-Stamp, which copies a por- 
tion of the screen and is then able to repeat 
or move that portion to other locations. 
The stamp has a rigid rectangular format, 
making it difficult to copy objects that are 
irregularly shaped or in close proximity. 
TelePaini allows you to scroll vertically to 
enlarge your canvas, but it cannot scroll 
horizontally. The limitation severely cur- 
tails the enhancements of most x-y-type 
graphs. 

The print selection offers the option of 
either full- or quarter-page prints, in a 
choice of either black-and-white or color. 
Unfortunately, the opaque, vivid screen 
colors appear sparse and thin on the printed 
page. 

Some Flaws 

Most of TelePaim's major flaws are a 
reflection of its hardware and software ac- 
quaintances. Its resolution is limited by the 
rci’s four-color, medium-resolution dis- 
play, which reduces artistic finesse to 


If the output of 
your business 
graphics package 
is sensible but 
pedestrian, 

TelePaint can make 
it lively. 

crude, jaggedy af^roximations. G>ntroU 
ling the mouse to draw on a medium-reso- 
lution display is like trying to thread a nee- 
dle with a ball of yam . 

TelePaint is also constrained by the 
graphics program you use to create the 
original graph. While TelePaint can en- 
hance the medium-resolution output of a 
business graphics package with text, pat- 
terns, and fill, it can’t make up for the 
sparseness and jagged edges of a medium- 
resolution graphic. 

TelePaint is the shape of things to 
come, but it is not yet fully formed. In the 
meantime, if your business requires a rea- 
sonably priced paint system that can dou- 
ble to create nice business graphics, you 
should consider ® 


IXS/Telegraphics 
261 VassarSt. 

Cambridge, MA 02139 

CIRCLE 662 ON READER SERVIcTcAfV 


LIST PRICE: S149 

REQCIRESe 2S6K RAM . two disk drives 
SUFFfMtTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Graphics or 
conq)8tiUe 

Printers-IBM Cdor/Graphics 

Piotters-none 

DOS ve(sions-2.0 

Other operating sysletnwione 

DOCUMENTAHON: 

Tutwial-ptu 
Manual-gtm, tcs 

COPV PROTECTION: ncp 
GENERAL C»AFHICS FACILniE& ntme 
SCREEN GRAPHICS FACOJIIES: none 

SCREEN/PRINTER/FIOTTER 

FACnJTlES: 

Hatching-^t, nht 
Color choice-acc, mcc 
Legends-vlp 
Header lines-no limit 
Comment line»-no limit 
Note lines-no limit 
Comment positkm-vq) 

Typefonts-16 
font $i 2 es -2 
Chait oveiiays-no limit 
Axis scaling-nas 
Griddi^>lay-agd. mdg 
Tick precision-^tp 
Page adjustment-psa 

INPtTSi 
Soufces-ikb. ims 

Graphics formats-any medium-resolution, four- 
color screen image 
Standard fonnats-none 

PRO(»tAM CHARACITRISTiCS: 

Design method-fsd. std 
Userinterface-13pdm,38mop. 100 top. imu, 
tmu 

Type fonts and sizes- 1 6 fht, 2 his, 2fny 
Pattern handling-40 ppa, upa. vpf 
Drawing tools-hbm. vpb, mir, cop. idr, iar 
Predefined charts and images-none 
Other business chart formats-none 
Image libraries-IO pis. sup 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


221 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


GSS-Pbttalk 


A Program You Can Talk To 

S uppose that you could have the 
next best thing to your own per- 
sonal, full-titne graphic artist: a 
graphics software package that 
understood what you wanted. 
GSS-Ploitalk is the software ver- 
sion of a live graphic artist — just 
write your orders in ordinary En- 
glish and the program will follow 
your directions tike a live artist. 

The advantage of Plonalk is 
that you can communicate with it 
in normal, everyday language. 
The program can produce a chart 
from the following phrases for 
example: "I need a chart. Make 



Instrument Families Used with MIDI 

As of January, 1985 


60% Keyboard 



20% Guitar 

Source: American Music Association 
1985 Market Survey 
Courtesy AMA 


7% Other 


13% Percussion 


ComputerBand Inc. 
Marketing Dept. 
March, 1985 


222 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


Kii 



Create your entire project on screen. 



Unique project overview lets you see the big picture. 



Schedule tasks over weeks, months, even years. 




Help a ke\'stroke aw 



Everything on every res 



SuperProject automatical 



mDIFFEKHa 

KTWUN 

SUKRPROJKTAHD 
OTHER PROJECT 
MAHJiOEMEHT 
SOFTWARE IS EVEN 
MORE GRAPHIC 
THAHTHIS. 


It’s not hard to see why 
SuperProject" is becoming the new 
standard in project management 
software. 

Bright colors and simple symbols 
let you know exactly where you 
stand, and its advanced graphics 
shine out even on monochrome 
screens. 

But the real beauty of Super- 
Project lies in what it can do for you. 

Like help you plan any project 
(from the smallest up to a planning 
problem the size of the Alaska 
Pipeline) right on screen. And right 
to the last detail. 

Schedule it seven ways to Sun- 
day, including individui schedules 
and calendars for every resource. 

Budget it down to the last dollar, 
taking into account fixed, variable 
and total costs. 

Have any change you make 
immediately reflected throughout 
the entire program. 

Print every screen, even while 
you work. 

And do it all by following simple 
menus or using fast command 
keystrokes. 

To take your - 
planning 

and N. ' . ' 

analysis 
even 

further, you 
can directly 
transfer project information into 
SuperCalc* 3 Release 2 and other 
leading spreadsheets, and produce 
customized reports and charts. 

For more information on how 
SuperProject can give your project 
management a clear advantage, call 
Terry Smith at 1-800-645-3003. Or 
see your Sorcim/lUS dealer. 

After one look, you'll find it’s 
hard to picture yourself using any- 
thing else. 

SORCIM/IUS 

MICRO SOFTWARE 

AOvvoncfConvuMr AaaooalMiWnManM ine 

C IKS Compuirr AsMctale« InlvrnaltMuU, Inc. 

Sopccfrafect isa irndemaik «nd SupnCak « rrMmrd 
Iradrmark ol Compucer Asucmim inierfuikmal, Inc. 




Track fixed, variable, and to 


SuperProject ouldates other project calendars 
by also providing calendars for evers' resource. 


CIRCLE 173 ON READER SERVICE CARD 







SMART v."STRONG" 


UltraPAK-S™ 

(short for UltraPAK-SMART) 

UltraPAK-S”* from Tseng Labs is the smart 
buy when shopping for a monochrome 
graphics card for the IBM PC and com- 
patibles. Where the “strong on graphics” 
card runs out of functionality, the 
UltraPAK-S is just beginning to pick up 
steam. 

Lotus 1-2-3™ spreadsheet in 132 x 44, 
VT/lOO terminal emulation video support 
in 80/132 columns (with optional font kit 
for crystal clear readability for 132 column 
applications), color graphics emulation on 
mono display (with separate SoftPAK II 
compatibility shortcard available for vir- 
tually lOO^o color compatibility for soft- 
ware packages specifying a color adapter) 
and much more! 

UltraRAM™ memory expansion piggy- 
back card (384 K) and UltraPAK Disk- 
master™ software with print spooling to 
use with our standard printer port and 
memory disk emulation. In one year, 
thousands of smart corporate end-users 
have standardized on the UltraPAK-S over 
the so-called “strong” card for these added 
features, in addition to our hi-res mono- 
chrome graphics (720 x 348) which are of 
course compatible with the “strong” card. 
If you use Lotus 1-2-3™ , VT/100 emula- 
tion software or any kind of monochrome 
graphics, give us a call and find out what 
our customers found out... That the 
smart decision pays every time. 

Systems Supported: IBM PC, IBM 
PC/XT, IBM PC/AT, ITT XTRA™, 
Sperry™, Eagle PC™, TAVA™, Leading 
Edge™. 

With Amdek 310A Monitor Corona™, 
AT&T™, Compaq Portable™, Eagle PC 
Spirit Portable™, IBM PC Portable. 


UteaPAK-S" 


Lotus™ Graphics 



Lotus™ 132 Column 



Color graphics on monochrome display* 



aRCLE 540 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


The “OTHER” 
Graphics Card 


Lotus™ Graphics 



Inquire About: 

Our Quality Dealer Program 
And Other UltraPAK Family Products 

LOTUS 1‘3‘3 is a TM of Lotus Oovelopment 


♦FREE For 90 Days -SoftPAK II short 
slot compatibility card for UltraPAK-S 

Pricing Comparable To 
“The Strong Card” 

Ei(ia^<cemet(t 

Cmfx£&i6 


80/132 column VTIOO Emulation 




Tseng Laboratories, Inc. 

205 Pheasant Run, Newtown Commons, Newtown, PA 18940 
(215) 968-0502 TELEX 705179 









BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


the background blue. The data is 10, IS, 
20. Please draw it for me now.” A line 
chart on a blue background will appear. 

To make changes, continue “talking" 
to the program. “Give it a neat title like 
First Quarter Software Sales, and show it 
to me as a pie chart. Go with that. ” A sec- 
ond graph, a pie chart with three slices and 
a title, will instantly appear. 

You can keep trying new directions. 
“The data might look better as filled bars. 
Please label the j;-axis ‘Jan,’ ‘Feb,’ and 
‘Mar,’ and draw it for me that way.” The 
program responds by producing a colunui 
chart complete with labels. Thus in 2 or 3 
minutes, you can create several charts. 

Plottalk Talks Back 

Plottalk allows a great deal of flexibility 
in how you word commands. It lets you re- 
phrase your directions until you are satis- 
fied with them, and if you leave out some 
information needed to plot the graph, Ploi- 
lalk lets you know. Once it understands 
what you’ve typed, it “echoes” the es- 
sence of your request back to you. Using 
the echo feature may be the quickest way 
to leam the actual program commands. On 
the other hand, Plottalk simply ignores re- 
quests it can’t make sense of, leaving it up 
to you to make sure that all the elements 
you’ve entered have been echoed. 

Plottalk lets you decide how much de- 
cision making you want when choosing 
chart options. In most cases, if you don’t 
specify an option, Plottalk has a full array 
of default settings that you can rely on. It 
creates a line chart when no chart type is 
specified and can also adjust the size of the 
graph to accommodate a subtitle that you 
might want to add at the last minute. If you 
want to further refine the chart, you can 
choose from 12 type fonts and 25 type 
sizes. Plottalk lets you place up to 20 text 
messages anywhere on the chart. 

Only memory size and display-screen 
capabilities limit how much data Plottalk 
can handle. You may either enter data 
from the keyboard or import it directly 
from standard-format database files. You 
may also type all the directions for creating 
charts on a standard word processor, then 
transport those files directly into Plottalk. 

To start, you must use one of Graphic 
Software Systems’ 25 GSS-Drivers so that 
the program can communicate with your 


printer or any other peripheral devices. 
The GSS-Drivers follow a graphics stan- 
dard called Virtual Device Interface 
(VDI), which is one of several interfaces 
vying for position as the industry-wide 
graphics standard. Among other things, 
GSS-Drivers allow you to save Plottalk 
charts as “metafiles” that can be read by 
mainframes and minicomputers unable to 
run Plottalk itself. 

To use Plottalk, you must fust install 
the device driver. The directions are mini- 
mal and assume a working knowledge of 
DOS commands and formats; you’ll get 
stuck if you don’t know when to use the 
left-slanting slash and when to use the 
right. The startup requirements are so 
much more difficult than the easy-to-use 
program that it makes you wonder why the 
company brought the program out without 
adequate installation software. GSS says 
that when it completes the installation soft- 
ware, it will distribute it with the package. 

The manual is well organiz^, clear, 
and easy to use. It has a comprehensive in- 
dex, an appendix explaining error mes- 
sages, plus a glossary of graphics terms 
and Plottalk commands. The manual 
shows a number of sample graphs with in- 
struction sets for producing them. Each 
section starts with an overview, summariz- 
ing the main points in plain English. 

The one area in which the manual falls 
short is in not listing range values for the 
various commands and options, though 
you’ll find a helpful list of default values 
for each command in the appendix. It took 
a call to the company to find out that you 
can display a virtually unlimited number of 
bars in one bar chart and overlay 20 sets of 
data in any one chart. And somewhere in 
the manual it should say that there are no 
limits on the amount of data that can be in- 
put (other than the limits imposed by the 
hardware you are using). 

For those who have avoided doing their 
own business graphics because they didn’t 
want to bother learning how to use a graph- 
ics package, Plottalk may be well worth its 
price — once the installation software is 
added. Here’s the straight talk about Plot- 
talk: it’s elaborate enough for extended 
data sets and chart types, yet extremely 
easy to use. It’s hard to imagine how 
graphics software could be made any more 
“user-friendly.” • 


GSS-PlottallqGSS-Drivm LOO 
Graphic Software Systems 
251I7S.W. Parkway 
Wilsonville, OR 97070 
(503)682-1606 


CIBCCE 667 ON REXDEB SERVICE CABO 


UST F1UCE: S295 (including GSS-Diiveis) 
REQUIRES: 256K RAM, one floppy disk 

SUPPORIS; 

Video boaids-lBM CoIcnTGraphics 
Prinleis-iBM: IDS Prism 80, 132, 480; 
Datasouth DS 180; Epson MX; Diablo ISO; 
Hewlett-Packard 2225C; NEC 7730, 3550; 
Okidala Microline series; QMS Laser Graphic 
800; Toshiba P13S0; Anadex 9501 ; Prinhonix 
MVP; Qume Sptiia ll;SeikoshaGP-700 
Ploners-Hewlett-Packard 7470A, 7474A 
7550, 7475A. 7585, 7586; Strobe 100, 200, 
260; Amdek Amplot 0; Hrxiston Instruments 
DMP29 

DOS vetsions-2.0, 2. 1 , 3.0 
Other operating systems-UNIX 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-gtm, idx, tcs 

CWY PROTECTION: ncp 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACILITIES: none 
SCREEN GRAPHICS FACnmES: none 

SCREEN/PRINTER/FLOnER 

FACIUTIES: 

Hatching-aht, mht 

Color choico-acc, mcc 

Legends-acI, mcl, vIp 

Header lines-2 

Comment lines-20 

Notelines-20 

Comment position-vcp 

Typefonts-12 

Type font sizes-25 

ciuutovcrlays-20 

Axis scaiing-aas, mas 

Grid display-agd, mgd 

Tick piecision-atp, ntp 

Page adjustment-ppa, hua, psa 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb, ims, ipt 
Graphics formats-none 
Staiidard formats-DlF, ASQI 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-cls unlimited, cgs unlimited, 
cpg unlimited, 20 ssc, noc, npc 
Bar charts-brs unlimited. 20 bgs, bpg 
unlimited, 20, noh, npb 
Line chaits-20 Ins, 500 ppl, 5 tpl, 6 Ism, sll, 
fll.spi 

Regression typcs-none 
Piechatts-I6psl, 16eps,epv 
Text/word charts-lZ f^, 6 bts, ctx, itx, btx 
Gantt chruts-itg unlimilcd, rog not specified, 
utg, 8smg 

Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surfoce-area chai1s-20 Ins 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


225 






BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Plotmx 2 


Sophisticated Regression Analysis 


D oes your need for statistical anal- 
ysis outweigh your need for pret- 
ty charts? If it does, you should 
look at Plotrax 2. ^gineering 
Science's graphics entry offers 
an unusually wide array of statis- 
tical capabilities in a presentation 
graphics program that is other- 
wise mediocre when measured 
against the competition. 

Plotrax 2 offers a fairly stan- 
dard mix of business charts, plus 
a powerful, well-documented re- 
gression package that includes 
output statistics mote normally 
associated with standalone statis- 
tical packages. 

The menu-driven program 
supports only the Hewlett-Pack- 
ard 7470A plotter, but can prrr- 
duce graphic output on a wide 
variety of popular dot matrix 
printers. The main menu lets you 
select line graphs, scatter graphs, 
pie charts, bar charts, or statis- 


tics. You can enter data manually, load a 
previously created data file from disk, or 
use a special program to translate DIF files 
into Plotrax 2 format. 

Manual data entry is accomplished in a 
table format that is easy to edit, although 
the program requires some unusual key 
combinations to move ftom field to field. 
For example, to move back to the previous 
field, you must hold down the Ctrl key and 
the plus sign (-H) key, and at the same time 
press the back arrow key. 


Plotrax 2 offers loiiie Intamtlng options 
for creating such things as 3-D bar charts. 


Plotrax 2 offers some interesting op- 
tions. When creating three-dimensional 
bar charts, fw example, you can indicate 
the width and depth of the bars (zero depth 
results in two-dimensional bars), as well as 
the spacing between them. However, the 
program does not save you from entering 
depths and widths that can render a chart 
unreadable. A nice touch in 3-D bar charts 
is the use of slanted letters and numbers 
that follow the perspective of the bars. 

When creating line and scatter charts, 
you enter the x and y values. Plotrax can 
either plot the data for you, compute one of 
a variety of regression analyses, or both. 
Even though this feature is Plotrax's most 
powerful and sophisticated, its menus and 
easy-to-follow outputs make the usually 
onerous chore of statistical analysis and 
plotting almost pleasant. 

To create pie charts, you can indicate 
which wedge should be exploded, what 
patterns to use, and whether percentages 
should be displayed. But the program 
places the labels for the pie chart in odd 
places in the appropriate wedge. These la- 
bels can be moved around by using the ar- 
row keys, but it is a cumbersome process. 

Printing the Charts 

As in all the modules, once this infor- 
mation is entered, you can view the chart 
on-screen by pressing the End key. To out- 
put to a dot matrix printer, you then press 
PttSc. You can use the Hewlett-Packard 
7470A two-pen plotter and change pens 
between each color plot. 

The program comes with several files 
and a tutorial in the manual. The manual is 
adequate but has no index. The program is 
fairly simple to learn. 

For those who need its statistical fea- 
tures, Plotrax 2 is a good buy. However, 
there’s nothing particularly outstanding 
about its performance for business graph- 
ics, and its lack of flexibility and wide plot- 
ter support takes away much of its appeal 
as a presentation graphics package. B 





226 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 , 1985 



P1otrax2 

Engineering Science. Inc. 

57 Executive Park South, NE 
Suite 590 

Atlanta. GA 30329 
(404) 325-0124 

CIRCLE 666 ON RgAOeR SERVICE CARO 


LIST PRICE: $340 

REQUIRES: 2S6K RAM . two disk drives 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Graphics. Frederick 
Electronics 

Priniers-Epson. IDS FYism. IBM Graphics. 
Okidata 

Plotters-Hewlett-Packard 7470A 
DOS vcRions-2.0. 2.1 
Other operating systetns-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-gtm. tcs 

COPl PROTECTION: hdk 
GENER4L GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: pcd 
SCREEN GIUPHICS FACIUTIES: none 

SCREE.N/PRINTERT»LOrrER 

FACnJTlES: 

Hatching-mht 
CoIot choioe-ncc 
Legends-ac). vlp 
Header lir»es- 1 
Comment lines-none 
Note lines-nortc 
Comment position-none 
Type fonts- 1 
Type font sizes- 1 
Chart overiays-none 
Axis scaling-nas 
Grid display-ngd 
Tick precision-ntp 
Page adjustment-none 

KVPirrS: 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics fewmat-none 
Standard fwinaLs-DIF 

CHART TTTES: 

Column chait^l9cls. I9cgs. 4cpg. rnoc. 3dc 
Bar charts-none 

Linechaits-8 Ins. 23 ppl. I tpl. 10 Ism. sU. fll. 
spl. rcl, rdl 

Regression types-linear. exponential, power. 

logarithmic, inverse, polynomial 
Pie chaits-22 psl, 22 eps. ppv 
Text/word charts-none 
Gantt chartv-none 
Organization charts-none 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts-8 Ins 


How Do I 
Choose tile 
Personal 
computer 
Monitor? 



PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11. 1985 


CIRCLE 220 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


227 

Copyrighted material 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


PC-Graph 

Limited Graphics at a Not-So-Inexpensive Price 


J im Button's Buttonware has 
grown from a garage hobby ven- 
ture to a fairly large operation, 
and it has earned a reputation for 
selling some fine software at very 
affortlabie prices. PC-Graph, a 
graphics package that can boast 
of neither fine graphics nor an ex- 
ceptionally fine price, breaks 
with this tradition, however. 

PC-Graph was created to of- 
fer PC-FILE HI users an easy-to- 
use graphics supplement. In- 
deed, the package is easy to use 
when it works. However, when it 
does work, the results are so sim- 
plistic that it’s hardly worth the 
trouble. The list of what you 
can’t do with PC-Graph far ex- 
ceeds the list of features. For all 
but the few lonely souls who “fit 
the PC-Graph bill" this program 
is just not usable. 

First, PC-Graph will only 
plot data that originates from 


Buttonware’s PC-FILE III. It cannot ac- 
commodate hand-entered data or data 
from other formats. Second, PC-Graph 
can only do simple line graphs. No pies, 
no bars, no columns — just points connect- 
ed by lines. Also, the program will only 
graph one field from the PC-FILE data- 
base. This restriction makes correlating re- 
lationships between data out of the ques- 
tion. There are similar packages that do 
allow you to specify multiple data fields in 
the same graph, but not PC-Graph. And in 
order to graph part of a database instead of 
the whole thing, you must return to PC- 
FILE and generate a database report that 
contains that information. PC-Graph 
graphs all or none of the specified file. 

PC-Graph'^ confining environment 
obscures its few redeeming features. Still, 
it is extremely easy to use. Using function 
keys and on-screen menu selections, you 
choose a database file, specify the ^ta 
field you want to graph, and configure the 
size of the graph and its minimum and 
maximum values. The graph appears im- 


mediately on the display screen. Because 
you can fully control the size and position 
of a graph on the screen or paper, you can 
integrate your graph into a presentation. 

Once you’ve displayed your graph, you 
enter the labeling component, the only 
flexible part of the program. In text mode 
you can type characters anywhere on the 
screen. Ironically, you can create attrac- 
tive multiline titles and comment and note 
fields for your unimpressive line graph . 

Graphics-package design usually en- 
tails trade-offs between simplicity and 
high-quality output. PC-Graph is simple 
to use, but the limitations incurred for the 
sake of simplicity appear in the output. 
The graphs are not presentation-quality. 
The lines that connect the data points are 
jaggedy and look like steps. The program 
doesn’t accommodate print symbols to 
mark data points for accuracy. The limits 
on the selection of fonts, vertical scaling, 
graph types, and types of data can almost 
defeat you. 

Its restrictions do not make PC-Graph 
an especially robust program. Three dif- 
ferent PC-Graph program disks ran on 
three different IBM and compatible sys- 
tems all failed at times and exhibited unex- 
pected error messages. 

Not Much Support 

However, PC-Graph's most heinous 
crime is lack of user support. Because Jim 
Button got so many phone calls from us- 
ers, he stopped helping them personally. 
He claims that hiring someone for tele- 
phone assistance would drive his prices 
up. Instead, he suggests you write a letter 
to Buttonware about your problems; that 
reflects a Pony Express mentality. 

Buttonware can no longer claim to 
make the best product for the lowest price. 
PC-Graph has not been properly de- 
bugged, and support is difficult to obtain. 
The graphs are unattractive and limited. 
Even PC-FILE users would be hard 
pressed to find uses for these graphs . B 

PC MAGAZINE •JUNE It, 1985 


iKHendous Growth Forecast for NIDI Industry 



PC-GrapA can only produce simple line graphs. 


228 


ial 


PC'Graph 1.0 

Buttonware 

P.O. Box 5786 

Bellevue, WA 98006 

(800) J-BUTTON (for orders) 

(206) 746-42% (for information) 

CIRgE 674 ON READER SERVICE CARO 


LIST PRICE: $47 

REQUIRES: I92K RAM. one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-IBM Color/Grai^ucs or 
compatible 

Printers-Epson Graftrax; IBM Graphics 

Ploners-none 

DOS versions-2.0. 2 . 1 

Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-^)tu 
Manual-idx, tcs 

COPY PROTECTION: ncp 
GENERAL GRAnOCS FACIUTIES: none 
SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: none 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FACILITIES: 

Hatching-nht 
Color choice-ncc 
Legends-mcl. vlp 
Header lines-unlimited 
Comment lines-unlimited 
Note lines-unlimited 
OMnment position-vcp 
Type fonts- 1 
Type font sizes-1 
Chart overlays-none 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick precision-atp. mtp 
Page adjustment-none 

INPUTS: 

Sources-4)one 
Graphics formats-none 
Staiidard formati-PC-FILE /// 

CHART TYMS: 

Column charts-^one 
Barchaits-none 

Linechaits-1 Ins, l.OOOppI, 1 tpl, 1 Ism 

Regression types-none 

Pie charts-none 

Text/word charts-none 

Gantt charts-none 

Organization charts-none 

Bubble charts-none 

Hi^-low charts-none 

Surface-area charts-1 Ins 












J- 




■t; 



with A# PC? 

Before you can experience the full 
capabilities a high performance 
monitor offers* It has to work with 
your personal computer. Jhat’s why 
Princeton Graphic Systems makes 
high resolution monitors compatible 
with most popular brands of personal 
computers. IBM, Compaq, Corona, 
Apple and more. But we go one step 
further. By paying close attention to 
ergonomic detail, we make Princeton 
Graphic Systems monitors compatible 
with you, the computer system user. 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


CIRCLE 221 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 

PFS;GRAPH 


Economy and Elegance 

P FS.GRAPH is the economy car 
of business graphics — no frills 
and no fuss. For high value at a 
low price, it’s hard to beat. The 
easy-to-use package delivers 
standard business graphs with 
very little start-up cost in time 
and money. The beauty of this 
package lies in its simple-but-el- 
egant menus. Even a novice can 
begin to create business graphics 
within minutes. 

This no-nonsense workhorse 
includes all the necessary func- 
tions needed for standard graph- 
ics: input the data, specify and 
design the graph, display graphs 
on the screen, print or plot graphs 
to a variety of output devices, 
and save graphs on disk. Line 
and bar graphs may be combined 
in a composite graph, and up to 
four graphs may be displayed on 
one page. 

At this price, you expect some 


limitations. The available design features 
just don't compare to the bells and whistles 
found in more sophisticated graphics pack- 
ages. For example, text can be displayed in 
only one font and size. Fill patterns, col- 
ors, and point symbols are automatically 
controlled by the program. But you can 
make decisions about the use of grids, axis 
labels, use of color or black and white, ti- 
tles, minimum and maximum axis values, 
and horizontal and vertical orientation of 
text. So you do have some say. 



PFS: GRAPH outputs good, basic business 
graphics with a minimum ot fuss. 


Another drawback of PFS:GRAPH is 
that its data-handling capacity is somewhat 
limited. It can graph only four series (or 
data sets) with 36 data points in each. That 
means, for example, that you could graph 
only 3 years of your monthly sales figures. 
Or you could compare sales, gross ex- 
penses, and profit with only one other fac- 
tor, It could be very limiting if you need 
sophisticated, complex graphs. 

PFS:GRAPH is good for beginners. 
The manual includes an easy-to-follow tu- 
torial that is hardly necessary; a few min- 
utes spent experimenting with the menu is 
more fruitful. If you are confused, an on- 
line help option is often available at the 
press of a key. And the program meets any 
errors with feedback and a reference to the 
appropriate section in the manual. 

One special feature of this program is 
the ease with which you can modify 
graphs. PFS-GRAPH’s menu structure 
makes it simple to change any aspect of the 
graph. The reconfigured graph can then be 
instantly redisplayed on the screen. 

Another advantage is that PFS:GRAPH 
belongs to a family of compatible PFS 
products, which means you can input data 
from the spreadsheet (PFS. PLAN) and da- 
tabase (PFS. FILE). You can also transport 
and print a graph as part of a PFS. WRITE 
document. It's like an integrated package 
with each part marketed separately so you 
can pick and choose the packages that you 
want. PFS.GRAPH also allows data input 
from a variety of other database and 
spreadsheet software. 

The package supports a variety of print- 
ers and plotters. Again, the menu makes 
output easy — no frustrations with "install- 
ing" a printer. However, even though the 
HP 7475A is listed in the menu, we still 
had trouble outputting to it. 

For occasional users of business graph- 
ics and those who have no desire to wade 
through manuals, PFS:GRAPH is a real 
find. It’s a no-nonsense product at a no- 
nonsense price. ■ 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 
As of January. 1985 



Keyboard (60X3 


230 


PC MAGAZINE# JUNE II. 1985 


PFS.'GRAPH 

Software Publishing 
1901 Landings Drive 
Mountain View. CA 94043 
(415)962-0191 


CIRCLE 699 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

UST PRICE: SI 40 

REQUIRES: I92K RAM. two disk drives^ 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-lBM Color Graphics, Hercules 
Grafdtics 

Printers-IBM Graphics. Color. Compact; Epson 
MX. FX. RX. LQ; Hewlcn-Packaid ThinkJet; C. 
Itoh 85 1 0; NEC 8023; IDS Prism; Okidata 
Microline; Quadram Quadjet; Texas 
Instruments 800, 855; Toshiba PI 340; 
Transtar 3 15 

Plotters-Hewlett-Packard 7470A. 7475A. 
Strobe M-260. Sweel-P; Amdek Amploi II; 
Houston Instruments DMP29. DMP40. 
DMP40-2; IBM 2 pen, 6 pen 
DOS versions-1 . 1 . 2.0. 2. 1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Manual-idx. tes 

COPY PROTECTION: Icf. hda 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACtLITIES: mda 

SCREEN GRAPHICS FACILITIES: aab 
(Hercules) 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FAdLITIES: 

Hatching-aht 

Color choice-acc 

Legends-acl . none 

Header lines- 1 

Comment lines-0 

Note lines-O 

Comment position-none 

Type fonts-1 

Type font sizes- 1 

Chart overlays-4 

Axis scaling-aas, mas 

Grid display-mgd 

Tick precision-mtp 

Page adjustment-ppa (printer) 

INPUTS: 

Sources-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 

Standard formats-DIF. SYLK. other PFS series 
CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-64 els. 4 egs, )6cpg.4ssc. 
noc 

Bar charts-none 

Line charts-4 Ins. 16 ppl. 1 tpl. 4 Ism 
Regression types-none 
Pie charts-8 psi 
Text/word charts-none 
Gantt charts-none 
Organization charts-nonc 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts-^ ins. 16 pis 


DoesItOve 
MeABrght, 
Sharp Image? 

Take a close-up look at the display. 
Bright, crisp characters and sharp, 
colorful graphics mean you’re getting 
a high-quality image. The kind of im- 
age that comes with every Princeton 
Graphic Systems’ monitor. Because 
Princeton Graphic Systems combines 
flicker-free technology, a fine dot 
pitch, and a nonglare screen to give 
you an image that PC World’s World 
Class Survey rates number 1 . . . 



PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


CIRCLE 222 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


231 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


GRAFIT 


Especially for Scientists 


G olden Software’s GRAFIT is the 
business graphics part of a three- 
program package that might ap- 
peal most to scientists and engi- 
neers working in mining, 
geology, and archeology. The 
other two programs, TOPO. for 
contour mapping, and SURF, for 
producing three-dimensional 
surface repre-sentations, are rath- 
er specialized applications. All 
three programs rely on a utility. 
PLOTCALL, to format their out- 
put to dot matrix printers. 

GRAFIT. which is menu- 
driven, allows you to choose 
from several chart types, includ- 
ing bar. stacked bar, pie. and 
line. The menu is designed in a 
format similar to that of Lotus’s 
1-2-3 — that is. you can select a 
command either by pointing to it 
on-screen and pressing Enter or 
simply by pressing the first letter 
of the command name. 


There are two methods for entering data 
into GRAFIT. One is to enter the desired 
data points from the keyboard manually. 
Alternatively, the program can read data 
from any text editor that produces ASCII 
files. Each line of the imported data file 
must contain one pair of coordinates (jr.y) 
separated by a tab or a comma, and text 
data must be set off with double quotation 
marks. 

These two entry methods can be com- 
bined on one chart. For example, you 
could enter the information for data set A 
from the keyboard and have the program 
import the information for data set B from 
an external file. Unfortunately, you cannot 
edit data once it has been entered. If you 
made an error entering the fourth data 
point, for example, you would have to re- 
enter your data starting with the first point. 

You can take a look at your chart any 
time by choosing the View command from 
the main menu. You cannot edit the chart 
itself: all editing is done from the main 
menu. However. GRAFIT offers a variety 


of options for fine-tuning your chart once 
the basic information has been entered. 
The Options menu tillows you to adjust the 
length and label spacing for the x and y 
axes, as well as indicate the label format, 
that is, whether numbers should appear as 
dollars, percents, or in scientific notation. 
You can add a title to the chart (up to 34 
characters), labels to the axis, or a legend 
(up to 24 characters) for each data set. Grid 
lines can be added vertically, horizontally, 
or in both direaions. You can also select 
from 1 5 font character sets , but you cannot 
mix these sets within a chart. 

Once you’re ready to print the chart, the 
data must be saved to disk. You then exit 
GRAFIT and run PLOTCALL. First you 
must prepare your chart file for PLOT- 
CALL by entering PC followed by the fi- 
lename and a semicolon. Finally, you plot 
the chart by typing PLOT followed by the 
filename without a semicolon. You must 
set up PLOTCALL for your printer with the 
installation program. 

The quality of the final printout will 
vary, depending on the brand of printer 
used and the font sets you have chosen to 
use. GRAFIT and PLOTCALL do not drive 
pen plotters. 

GRAFIT requires no special installation 
and is not copy protected. 'The package 
does not contain a tutorial, but a demon- 
stration chart file is included that, when 
combined with the crisp, clear style of the 
documentation and the program’s relative 
simplicity, is sufficient to teach you the 
program thoroughly. 

GRAFIT s main shortcomings are that 
it omits an editing facility for data enhy 
and requires a separate program to print 
hard copy. Also, it outputs to dot matrix 
printers only, a minus if you want to use a 
color plotter for your graphics. Its teal 
strength lies in the fact that it conies pack- 
aged with contour mapping and three-di- 
mensional surface plotting programs — a 
nice bonus for those who need these more- 
scientific graphing features. H 



232 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE It, 1985 


GRAFTT UN) (with PLOTCALL, 
TOPO, and SIJRF) 

Ck)lden Software Inc. 

P.O. Box 281 
Golden. CO 80402 
(303)279-1021 

CIRCLE 683 ON READER SERVICE CARO 

UST PRICE: $199 

RE(}UIRES: 1 28K RAM , one disk drive 
SUPPORTS: 

Video boards-lBM Color/Graphics or 
compatible 

Printers-Epson and compatible: Okidata; IDS 
440, 460, Prism: Texas Instruments 830. 855; 
Anadex 9620: Star Micronics; C. Itoh 
pFOwriler, 8510: NEC 8023; Mannesmann 
Tally MPI 150; Toshiba 1340, 1351 
Plotters-none 
CXDS versions-2.0. 2. 1 
Other operating systems-none 

DOCUMENTATION: 

Tutoriai-ntu 

Manuat-lcs 

COPY PROTECTION; hep, hda 
GENERAL GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: none 
SCREEN GRAPHICS FACIUTIES: ncme 

SCREEN/PRINTER/PLOTTER 

FACIUTIES: 

Hatching-mhi 
Color choice-ncc 
Legends- mcl 
Header lines- 1 
Comment lines-none 
Note lines-none 
Comment position-none 
Type fonts-1 
Type font sizes- 1 
Chart overlays- 1 
Axis scaling-aas, mas 
Grid display-mgd 
Tick ptecision-mtp 
Page adjustment-none 

INPUTS: 

SouFces-ikb 
Graphics formats-none 
Standard formats-ASCIl 

CHART TYPES: 

Column charts-I5 cIs. 5 egs, 15 cpg, 5 ssc. noc 
Barcharts-none 

Line charts-5 Ins. 15 ppt, I tpl. 5 Ism 
Regression types-none 
Pie charts-psl unspecified, ppv 
Text/word charts-none 
Gantt charts-none 
Organizatitm charts-fKNtc 
Bubble charts-none 
High-low charts-none 
Surface-area charts-5 Ins 



monitor built foLrellablI®.‘‘B(ifc$ion 
Graphic Systems monitors are Bolt^ 
under the highest qua% 
dards, backed by a full one-vl^iar- 
ranty and supported by a na^lontii^e 
service networkMhe result: monitors’ 
that perform when you need themf% 
day in and dayout^ . . . ' ^ 2^® 


. i-t'- 






system to help get younWie'doifefc 






■ -Tf- 

If- & 2 ' • 




PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II, 1985 


CIRCLE 223 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


233 




BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


Graphwriter 


Big and Powerful for Heavy-Duty Use 


G 


raphwriter from Graphic Com- 
munications, Inc., falls on the 
powerful end of the business 
graphics program scales. Written 
in UCSD Pascal, Graphwriter 
uses a staggering number of 
overlays. The result is a massive 
package that comprises 290 pro- 
grams spread over ten floppy 
disks. On a floppy disk system, 
you'll have to insert disks with 
proper chart formats as needed. 
On a hard disk system. Graph- 
writer will occupy 2'lt mega- 
bytes of disk storage. 

Installing Graphwriter on a 



formats offers 11 separate cfiolcss. 


Instrument Families Used with MIDI 
As of January. 1985 


Keyboard 



Other 


Percussion 


Guitar 


Source; Aaarlcsn Music Association 
1984 Harkat Survey 
Courtesy AHA 


Prepared by CoiputarBend Inc. 
Marketing Departaent 
March. 1965 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE II, I98S 

c. 


234 


Meet The Princeton 
Graphic ^^stems f^ily 

The right monitor at the right price. Princeton Graphic Systems offers you a complete family of high 
performance personal computer monitors. Monitors that deliver the compatibility, resolution, and reliability 
you need for any application and any budget; from word processing to sophisticated business graphics. 





HX-1 2E. High resolution RGB 
monitor -Compatible with IBM 
Enhanced Graphics Adapter 
-Nonglare screen -$7B5 


HX-12. High resolution RGB 
monitor -690 x 240 lines 
noninterlaced -.31 mm dot pitch 
tube-Nonglare screen -$69S - 


MAX' 1 2. Amber monochrome 
■720 X 350 lines -Enhanced to in- 
terface with IBM color or 
monochrome adapter card 
-Nonglare screen -Can display 16 
shades of amber -$249 


SR'l 2P. PGS's top of the line 
^ RGB monitor - Analog input 
allows for the display of 
y ,fA 4,096 possible colors - 
r Compatible with IBM Pro- 
. ^ j fessional Graphics Adapter 
- Nonglare screen -$999 


HX'9/9E. Nine Inch, high j 

resolution RGB monitor -.28mm J 

dot pitch tube - 9E compabble with' 
IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter 
-Nonglare screen -Green/amber 
switch -Apple/IBM colors - Etched 
darlr glass screen -$650/$7S0 (9E) 


SR'l 2. Super-high resolution RGB 
monitor -690 x 480 lines noninterlaced 
-.31 mm dot pitch tube - Nonglare screen 
■ Requires interlace card -$799 


Princeton Graphic Systems. The only real choice. 

For office or home use, Princeton Graphic Systems has a monitor that's right for you. Inquire 
at your local computer store about our complete line of high resolution color and monochrome 
monitors: monitors that live up to the Princeton Graphic Systems 'tradition of quality, perfor- 
mance. and value. Princeton Graphic Syttoim. 601 Ewing Street. Bldg. A, Princeton, N.J. 
08540. (609) 683-1660 Telex: 821402PGSPRIN (800) 221-1490. Ext. 502 


Princeton accessory product Ine. 

Undergraduate titt/swivei monitor base. 

CotorVew card. Green/ Amber switch, RG8'80 card 
and Scan Doubler card. 


PRINCETDN 


GRAPHIC SYSTEMS 

AM iNT«vi.iaaNT •varaiMS eoMWANv 


CIRCLE 224 ON READER SERVICE CARD 







The RAINBOW Color Graphics/Multifunction Board 


ASYNC PORT 


LIGHT PEN 


RGB COLOR 


MEMORY EXPANSION 


CLOCK/CALENDAR 


32K DISPLAY MEMORY 


The Only Board your IBM® PC, XT or AT may ever need. 

The RAINBOW Color Graphics/Multifvmction Board 
gives you all these functions in just one board. 

• Fully IBM Compatible RGB Color Graphics Interface 

• IBM Compatible Parallel Printer Interface 

• Battery Backed-Up Clock/Calendar 

• IBM Compatible Asynchronous Interface 

• Smooth Scrolling 

• Enhanced Character Set 

• High Resolution Light Pen Interface 

• IBM Compatible Game Interface 

• Option to Piggy-Back up to 384K of System Memory 

Call (214) 247-2552 for additional information and the name of 
your nearest RAINBOW Color Graphics/Multifunction Board dealer. 
Find out how you can get a RAINBOW of functions on just one board. 



QUALITY EXPANSION BOARDS FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS 
IBM IBM PC. XT AND AT ARE ALL REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF IBM CORPORATION 251 0 SOUthweli, Suite 1 03. OallaS, TCXaS 75229 


CIRt LF S.U ON READFR SERVICE CARD 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


hard disk is a quirky enough process to be 
forbidding for a novice PC user. If you cre- 
ate a subdirector) on your hard disk for the 
Graphwriter files and then switch to the A: 
drive to start installation, the priKedure 
will abort. What the manual doesn’t ex- 
plain is that Graphwriter'^ installation pro- 
gram automatically creates a subdirectory 
in which all the files are placed. Nor does it 
tell you that you are really going to need 
2'/4 megabytes of storage. Once these 
wrinkles were ironed out, installing the 
system on an AT hard disk went smwthiy . 
with the process controlled by automatic 
batch files. 

Graphwriter is copy-protected, and 
only one floppy copy can be made. This 
copy or the original master disk must be in 
a floppy drive while the program is used 
from a hard disk. 

Graphwriter is completely menu-driv- 
en. You enter data and specify layouts by 
answering the program’s questions. Com- 
plete context-sensitive, on-line help can be 
obtained at any p(^int by hitting a key. 

If you have put Graphwriter on a hard 
disk, you can select one of the 23 chart for- 
mats from a menu and go directly to that 
format. But if you are working from flop- 
pies. you’ll first have to use the menu to 
get the filename of the formal you are in- 
terested in , then kx>k through your disks to 
find it. The filenames combine letters and 
numbers, as in '‘CO20,” while the fonnai 
names are descriptive, as in “Pie-Bar 
Combination.” 

Because it offers more options than 
most similar programs. Graphwriter re- 
quires quite a lot of information to make 
even reasonably simple charts. However, 
input forms make entering the information 
easier. These fonns arc very professional 
and are obviously intended for a serious 
business environment. Because of 
Graphwriter'’^ design, which relies on a 
complex composition function to lay out 
the charts before plotting, the program 
lacks an interactive interface. 

The formats themselves range from 
very good to excellent. Your range of con- 
trol over even simple bar, line, and pie 
charts is impressive, at least in terms of an- 
notation. shading, titling, and the like. 
Many chart elements can be repositioned, 
but to do so you must specify kx;alions in 
numeric coordinates. 


Graphwriter is fmm the predetined-kx- 
mal schixil of graphics programs. Its Basic 
Set offers 1 1 formats; another 12 come in 
the Extension Set. The formats in the Basic 
Set prtxluce the nomial run of bar. pie. 
line, and scatter graphs, with some inter- 
esting variations. For example, the pie 
chart formal allows up to four pies, which 
can be drawn in different sizes to show 
special relationships. Especially notewor- 
thy is the text/word chart format. Extreme- 
ly fxwerful and flexible, it is really a com- 
plete subsystem that outperforms some 
standalone text chart packages. 

The Extension Set formats let you com- 
bine simpler charts in new ways and offer 
some relatively unusual charts. Graph- 
writer is one of the few packages to pro- 
duce Gantt, organization, and bubble 
charts. The organization chart formal 
could almost be sold on its own. It is quite 
complex and requires some study, but 
once mastered, even complex organization 
and flow charts can be pnxluccd. 

You can first plot to a color/graphics 
screen to preview your chart layout. 
Graphwriter can prcxJucc a fast plot with- 
out the fill to save time. It also has an inter- 
esting option that prints graphics without 
text, in case you want the text typeset and 
stripped in later. The system calls for both 
naiTow and wide pens on a Hewlett-Pack- 
ard 7475 plotter, using the wide pens forti- 
fies and area fill. 

Graphwriter' s documentation is ex- 
tremely detailed and comprehensive. Al- 
though the manual is well organized, it 
isn’t tabbed. 

Graphwriter is a big system. While it is 
very fast on a hard disk AT, it can be slug- 
gish on fioppy-only systems. Its batch na- 
ture and sophisticated composiion meth- 
ods produce first-rate charts, but some 
users may prefer a more interactive envi- 
ronment. 

Graphwriter is extremely flexible, yet 
surprisingly ea.sy to use. Its output qualit)' 
is superb, and it offers charts most compet- 
itive prixlucis do not have. It is not inex- 
pensive. but buying both format sets to- 
gether brings its price into line, especially 
when you compare it to the cost of buying 
separate text/word or organization chart 
software. Judging by its performance, 
Graphwriter is an excellent product wor- 
thy of serious consideration. B 


Graph>«Titer4.21 

Graphic Communications. Inc. 

2(X) Fifth Avenue 
Waltham. MA 02254 
(617)890-8778 

CIRCLE 665 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

LLST PRIC E: $.195 S595 
REIQIIRES: J92K RAM. two disk dnves 

SIPPORI^: 

Video boards- ;inv nH)ntKhnmx* (no graphs on 
screen) or IHM-eompaiiblc color/graphics 
Priniers-Hcw leU-Packard ThinkJei: IBM 
Grjj^ics; Epson MX. P'X. RX: DatapnxJucts 
Prism: Okidala M82. M92; IDS Prism 
Plolierv-Hewlelt-Packard 7220C. 7470A. 
7475A. 7550A: IBM XY^5();CalcompM84: 
Manne,smann Tally Pixy 3: Houston 
Insirunxnts DMP29 
IX)Sversions-2.().2.l.3.() 

Other operating systems-none 

DOCl 'MENTATION: 

Tutorial-ptu 
Munual-gtm. idx. tes 

COP\ PROlECnON: Icf. hdk 

GENERAL GRAPHICS FACILITIES: pcf. 
pcd. mda 

scri:en graphics FAcarriES: none 
SCREEN, PRINTT:RPLOriT;R 
FACILITIES: 

Hatching-aht. mhl 

Color chtuce-acc. mcc 

Ixgend-s-acl. mcl, vlp 

Header lincs-3 

Comment linev-3 

NcHc linev-3 

Comntcnl pi>sition-vcp 

Type fonts-8 

Type font sizes-unlimited 

Chart ovcrlays-m>nc 

Axis scaling- aas. mas 

Grid display-ngd 

Tick precision-atp. mip 

Page adjustnwnt-ppa. hva. psa 

INPll^: 

Sourccs-ikb 
Graphics formats-nonc 
Standard fomials-SYLK. DIF 

CHART TAPES: 

Column charts- 36 ds. 20cgs. 8cpg. I6ssc, ixx. 
nvc. npc 

Barchaits-36brs. 20bgs, 8bpg. Ibssb.nob. 
nvb. npb 

Line chans-8 Ins. 100 ppl. K tpl. 6 Ism, vil. usm. 
sll. fll, spl. rcl. rdt 

RegressKHt typcs-linear. exponential, power, 
log 

Pic charts-I6 psl, s-216eps. ppv. epv. uap 
Text/word chaTts-2 fpe, 6 bi.s. ctx. jix. bix. utx 
Gantt eharts-49 itg. 20 ix'g. utg, 6 smg 
Organization chans-48 snKi. 80 elo. 72 sto. 3 
tlo. vso 

Bubble charts- .16 bbs. 20cpb. lib.ldb, lib 
High-low charis-none 
Surface-area charts-S Ins. 100 pis 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


237 


r 


• Votrax Announces ■ 


VOTALKERIB&AP 

New Industry Standards For Talking 
Personal Computers. Exclusively 
for IBM PC and XT, Apple II, and 
Compatibles. From Votrax, The 
Pioneer in Synthetic Speech Systems. 

Give your IBM PC and XT~^ 

I and Apple II the 

Power of Speech 



Until Votaiker IB and AP, synthetic speech 
systems for personal computers were like a 
piano with 50 keys, an eagle with a broken 
wing, and a singer with a two-octave range. 
When Votrax developed the SC02 speech 
synthesis chip, it was the classic case of 
advanced technology in need of support 
systems to unlock its dormant powers. Now, 
Votaiker introduces a revolutionary family of 
text-tO'Speech translators — the key to the 
lock. First members of the family are the 
Votaiker IB for IBM PC and XT and the 
Votaiker AP for Apple II, Apple lie, and 
Apple Plus. With Votaiker these units play 
the piano with all 88 keys. Soar through 
unlimited vocabulary, using 32 inflections 
and 4,100 pitch settings. Sing in five octaves, 
and generate sound effects in 16 amplitudes. 

A Newly Designed Circuit Board includes: 

• SC02 Chip • speaker • audio amplifier 

• volume control • external speaker jack. 

The board operates in the host computer 
slot, eliminating the need for serial ports and 
cable hookups. Interf>al editing and smoothing 
ensure clarity and integrity of speech. 

The Text-To-Speech Translator sets Votaiker 
above all other synthetic voice products. 

Text is generated through programs or 
keyboard and translated directly into spoken 
language. The sophisticated software on a 
diskette offers: • unlimited vocabulary 

• little use of system memory • exception 
table that stores and accurately pronounces 
difficult words. 

Other Votrax Products — the stand-alone 
Personal Speech System and Type 'N Talk — 
are currently used In thousands of 
applications. 

Votaiker Prices Begin at $179 

Call Votrax at (800) 521-1350* 

VOTRAX, INC. 

1394 Rankin 
Troy, Michigan 48083 
(313)588-2050 

*ln Michigan. Call Collect 
(313) 588-0341 




CIRCLE 215 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



KEYPATCH™ -10 - A full travel mini-keyboard. 
Plugs between keyboard connector and CPU. 
Automatically activates NUM-LOCK placing your 
IBM™ keyboard into the number pad mode while 
KEYPATCH'" -10 provides separate cursor and 
screen control functions without the use of the 
NUM-LOCK key. Saves time — eliminates errors. 
KEYPATCH " -10 requires no software. A must 
for spread sheets; word processing: graphics; etc. 


For Immediate Shipment 
Genest Technologies, Inc. 
1331 E. Edinger Ave 
Santa Ana. Calif. 92705 
(714) 547-0880 


ONLY »84"» 

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Visa, Master Card. 
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Dealer Inquiry Invited 


'P«t«ni5 Perxling • KEYPATCH'* is a tcademark of Gatwst Technoiogies. Inc 
IBM'* IS a tradamark of Iniarnational Business Machines Corp 


CIRCLE no ON READER SERVICE CARD 


Find the right word 


THE 

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(Synonym Finder) 


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WS 2000, IBM Writing Ass't. 


Improve your writing by find- 
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from right inside your word pro- 
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It's so fast and easy you'll use it 
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dealers and distributors please cal) or write 


CIRCLE 216 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


238 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS • KATHRYN ALESANDRINI 


Graphics: 

AT^-Edged Sword 


Use these power tools skillfully, or the impressions you create 
may be other than you intended. 


B usiness graphics can put you at 
the cutting edge of information 
management, even if you are un- 
able to draw a straight line or 
don’t know an easel from a pixel. 
For only a few hundred dollars, 
graphics software packages will 
transform your PC into an art de- 
partment that can generate color- 
ful charts and graphs, custom 
drawings, professionally ren- 
dered images, and even screen- 
based slide shows. 

Graphics software can help 
you cut through to the heart of a 
message, making an impact that 
no amount of verbiage or data can match. 
People remember what they see but forget 
or filter out much of what they hear and 
read. 

Graphics can also let you condense 
mounds of data into manageable patterns 
and useful information. According to 
some experts, the quantity of scientific and 


technical knowledge is now doubling ev- 
ery SVr years. And soon the rate will jump 
to perhaps 40 percent each year, meaning 
that data will double every 20 months. To 
succeed in the face of this ever-growing 
volume of information, one corporate vice 
president now uses business graphics to 
summarize monthly reports, saving him- 
self the tedium of studying ISO pages of 
data each month. 

Business graphics can even help the 
bottom line. In a recent survey, over 40 
percent of computer graphics users repott- 
ed an increase in revenues attributable to 
the use of business graphics. 

Imagine yourself sitting in a presenta- 
tion given by your colleague who is the 
product manager for Free Time, a hypo- 
thetical time management software pack- 
age with impressive sales growth. Your 
colleague begins with a slide of a business- 
man leading a newspaper with the head- 
line “Sales of Free Time Double Month- 
ly.” The next slide dresses up a bar chart 
with images of time, adding in- 
terest and keeping you focused 
on the topic of time management 
software. Remember, though, 
that while clever presentations 
will hold your interest, a too-cute 
graphic may turn you off and 
leave you feeling that the entire 
presentation was silly. On the 
other hand, visual puns and cute 
touches may work well for some 
groups. It’s important to know 
your audience. 

Because images carry great 
impact, business graphics can 
weaken your credibility if you’re 
not careful. The colors you 
choose for your graphics can 
have a tremendously positive im- 



PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 


239 



BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


pact or just as easily have a negative ef- 
fect — something I learned the hard way. 
As part of the opening sequence of slides 
during a presentation, I showed a multicol- 
ored map of Canada with the northern part 


of the U.S. visible. At the end of the pre- 
sentation, a member of the audience 
dressed in full military uniform came up to 
me, indignant that the United States had 
been shown in red during the opening. 


Another possible mistake is graphic 
distortion of your data, which could lead to 
poor decisions with disastrous conse- 
quences. One or two simple changes in a 
graph can make the same ^ta convey very 
different messages. For example, squeez- 
ing the x axis of a graph on floppy disk 
sales gives the impression of sharp growth 
after a big dip while stretching it conveys 
slow growth. Eiistorted graphics can mask 
the facts, leaving you worse off than you 
were with piles of printouts. 

What’s on the Market 

If you want to succeed with business 
graphics, you should learn as much as you 
can about the software capabilities and 
bolster your “visual IQ.” One way to do 
this is by reading books and articles on the 
topic to give you an unbiased bird’s-eye 
view of various business graphics pack- 
ages. 

There are different types of business 
graphics packages and they may be used in 
different ways. Decision-support graphics 


While a clever 
presentation will 
hold your 
interest, a too- 
cute graphic may 
turn you off. 

programs help you analyze trends and 
make better decisions. Presentation graph- 
ics packages can create slides, transparen- 
cies, and hard-copy output to accompany 
your presentations, reports, and business 
meetings. 

Most of current PC graphics software is 
geared to creating presentations and in- 
volves several main types: 

• charts and gra{^s 

• drawing and painting 

• predrawn images of “clip-art*" 

• screen slide shows 

• enhancement software 

• output and device drivers. 

Business graphics packages always can 

produce charts and graphs, allowing you to 



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Tatung Terminals and Monitors 
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Terminals and Monitors are now 
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exceptional value you can buy. 


U.C.M. COMPUTER PRODUCTS 
CANADA LIMITED 
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CIRCLE 181 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


240 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 



Introducing 
the new 
and improved 


IBM PC 


Introducing 

GEM. 







Congratularions. 

You just found the perfect way to get a 
brand new and improved IBM* PC without 
buying one. 

Get GEM'" software from Digital Research 
instead. And your IBM PC, PC/^T, AT or 
compatible will become something it’s never 
been before. 

Easy to use. 

Now instead of getting lost in PC DOS, 



you can actually use your PC to get some- 
thing done. (An astonishing idea, if ever there 
was one.) 

It all starts with GEM DESKTOP!” a clever 
little $49.95*program that hides the rigmarole 
of PC DOS. Ancflets you work with a simple 
header menu, icons, drop-down menus and 
a pointer. 

So opening a file, for instance, is as easy as 
pointing with your mouse (or your cursor 
keys, if mice make you uneasy] to the file 
folder you want to work on. And chck. 

It’s open. 

That’s how GEM works. Here’s what it 
works with. First of all, you can still run most 
in^rtant programs ever written for the IBM 
PC. And GEM software will make them 
easier to get into. 

Then there are GEM programs we’ve 
written ourselves. 

Like the GEM COLLECTION;” a bundle 
that includes GEM DESKTOP!” GEM 
WRrTE'”*and GEM PAINT!” So you can 
process words and pictures together. 

GEM DRAW" with an extensive galley 
of art to help you create everything from fine 
art to line art. GEM GRAPH’” to turn num- 
bers into something more tangible. And GEM 
WORDCHART,'” the simplest last word (and 
chart) in presentation graphics. 

And soon you’ll see important programs 
from a host of major software houses. 



Now, GEM is as easy to find as it is to use. 
Call (800) 4434200. Ask for our GEM bro- 
chure. The name of your GEM software 
dealer. Or simply place an order. 

Because with GEM, the best new com- 
puter on the market isn’t a computer at all. 

mCEM 

FROM DICIT.VL RESE.\RCH« 

CIRCLE 131 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


create automatically the standard formats 
for portraying data that we’re all familiar 
with — bar graphs, pie charts, and line 
graphs. More and more integrated pack- 
ages are adding graphics to their spread- 


Full Featured, Proven ... 


sheet software for a convenient, all-in-one 
package. In presentation graphics, the 
newcomers to watch are enhancement 
software atxl software that offers predrawn 
graphics for you to use as building blocks 


ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE 


ns 


PER 

SYSTEM 


General Ledger 

Accounts Receivable 

Accounts Payable 

Payroll Including State & Local Taxes 

lnV6ntOry With Purchase Order & Order Entry 


OR ALL SYSTEMS ABOVE for 


«50 


in creating presentations that look tailor- 
made for your audience. 

Charts and Graphs 

Business graphics software allows you 
quickly and easily to visualize numerical 
information (such as sales figures) and 
really get an overall view of what is hap- 
pening in the organization. Plotting your 
sales figures by hand would probably take 
hours. But the computer will generate a 
neat, accurate graph instantly fh>m stored 
data. You can then spend your time on 
more-important matters such as spotting 
problem areas and planning new strate- 
gies. 

The only difficulty may be entering the 
data that you want the computer to graph. 
If you wish to see a graph of a year’s 


Runs on IBM (PC jr/PC/XT/ AT). AT&T. EPSON. TANI)Y(1000/1200/2(X)0).TI. 
WANG. COMPAQ. CORONA. SANYO. COLUMBIA* 

Requires 128K RAM. 2 Floppies or Fixed Disk. 80 Column Printer. MS-DOS. PC- 
DOS 2.0 or later. 


Use: Lotus 1-2-3 Framework Symphony 
Dbase II/III Wordstar Condor 
Multiplan Word Perfect My Word* 
or any other Database. Word Processor or Spread 
Sheet package that you are now using with our data 
files to do special FORECASTS. REPORTS. 
ANALYSES, etc. 

The (plus) key on the IBM keyboard functions as 
an ENTER key for data entry. 

Exceptionally easy setup. From package to com- 
puting in less than I HOUR. 

All systems use generally accepted accounting prin- 
ciples. 

Detailed manual is on diskette, you print it in your 
printer. 

Disks are NOT Copy Protected!! 


MICROCOMPUTER TO ORDER CAIJ.: 
BUSINESS SERVICES 1-800-334-0854 


12703 Stuebner Airline 
Suita 202 

Houston, TX 77014 


Kor More Information 
Call (713) r>K:}4)N2H 


A WS-li)ie word prooesaor with 
Sort. Merge. Quick Print, More 
than 100 Operations. ASCII 
flies 


Accountants Package, in- 
cluding: Client Write-Up with 
(■.•neral l,edger. After-the-fact 
Paynill. Killing, and 104(1 Tax 
Package. Kverything you need 
for your Practice. 


☆ -fr ☆ 


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CIRCLE 168 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


If you want to 
succeed with 
business graphics, 
you should bolster 
your “visual IQ.” 

monthly sales figures for your two top 
products , you would have to enter 24 num- 
bers. Graphing these monthly sales figures 
broken down by five regional marketing 
areas would require you to type in 120 
numbers. Fortunately, most graphics 
packages make data entry easy by blow- 
ing you to transfer data directly from the 
spreadsheets or databases where it is 
stored. 

When buying chart and graph software, 
look for a package that allows the direct 
transferal of data from spreadsheets or da- 
tabases, offers a range of chart types to 
choose from, has easy-to-follow menu op- 
tions with on-line prompts, and includ^ 
an “intelligent layout’’ feature that makes 
design decisions in laying out charts. 

The intelligent layout feature may be 
the best thing for learning about the effec- 
tive design of charts and graphs. You can 
observe the layout decisions the program 
makes and then override them once you 

PC MAGAZINEaJUNE II, 1981 


244 




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CIRCLE 135 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



Multi-user PC, 
sin^e-user price. 

Introducing affordable PC expansion for IBM PCs. 

Microsystems Executive Workstations transform your 
IBM PC into a multi-user, multi -processor system with shared 
data access and communication between users. And the 
Executive Workstation comes with everything you need: 
PC-on-a-card, terminal, cables, and software. So expand your 
PC, not your budget. Call MicroSystems International today. 



CIRCLE 539 ON READER SERVICE CARD 
PC MAGAZINE 6 JUNE 11. 1985 


CIRCLE 194 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


245 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


are ready to select for yourself. 

Many integrated software packages 
now include a graphics option as part of the 
spreadsheet, and although PC chose not to 
include them as part of this software 


Feel like an Edsel owner? Well, cheer 
up. The real value of a computer is in 
the software it can run. And, as the 
world’s largest manufacturer of 
PCjr" enhancements, Racore has the 
hardware you need to run as much 
IBM’ PC and PC XT software as you 
care to. 

For example, our Drive Two™ 
package snaps on top of your PCjr 
and makes it, essentially, a dual drive 
IBM PC. You also get our unique PC 
mode switch. It allows your jr to run 
PC graphics, like those in 


roundup, they have a distinct advantage — 
referring data to be graphed is a breeze. 
Another plus for integrated graphics is that 
you can often combine the graphics more 
easily with text and data. But typically, in- 


clock calendar and a built-in power 
booster. You can also add a direct 
memory access (DMA) controller 
board for maximum IBM PC com- 
patibility. In addition, we manufac- 
ture a low cost memory expansion 
board that fits neatly inside our disk 
drive enhancement packages. 

To unleash the full potential of 
your jr, call or write today. Racore, 
10 Victor Square, Scotts Valley, 
California 95066. 

PS. Priced an Edsel lately? 


tegrated graphics modules sport fewer fea- 
tures than standalone programs, omitting 
such goodies as variable typeface and type 
size, a wide variety of chart types, special 
effects, and numerous options for fill pat- 
terns and line styles. On the other hand, 
you are more likely actually to use the 
graphics in an integrated program just be- 
cause they’re there. 

Drawing and Painting 

Graphs such as bar and line charts can 
be boring without pictures to add drama 
and interest. Painting and drawing soft- 
ware allows you to spruce up charts and 
graphs on the electronic drawing board. 
This type of software transforms the com- 
puter into the ultimate artist’s canvas, yet 
you don’t have to be an artist to use it. You 
can draw, redraw, and polish images with 
minimal effort, just as with word process- 
ing software, you can write, rewrite, and 
polish text. You use a graphics input de- 


Painting and 
drawing software 
allows you to 
spruce up charts 
and graphs on the 
electronic drawing 
board. 

vice or arrow keys to sketch an image on 
the drawing board, then press various 
function keys that automatically scale it up 
or down, rotate or invert it, combine it with 
geometric shapes, color it, texturize it, or 
zoom in for a close up. You can even cre- 
ate a rnirior image , ‘ ’rubber stamp’ ' copies 
of the image elsewhere on the screen, and 
animate it, all in a matter of minutes. The 
best feature of all for many may be the 
electronic eraser. It lets you undo any mis- 
takes without a trace. 

Before you buy a drawing and painting 
software package, check to see if it accepts 
input from a joystick, mouse, or touch tab- 
let; provides on-line help if you forget 
commands; allows freehand sketching; has 
easy-to-use commands for creating and 
positioning objects; and lets you perform 


Lotus 1-2-3™ and Sym- 
phony™. You can’t do 
that with any other sys- 
tem. For even more ver- 
satility, snap on our 
10MB fixed disk en- 
hancement. It gives your 
jr performance ap- 
proaching thatof an XT. 

Both the 10MB and 
the Drive Two systems 
include a parallel 
printer port, a 
battery operated 



Interested in a 
Users Group? 

Our PCjr support 
goes beyond hard- 
ware. If you are in a 
PCjr users group, tell 
us about it and we’ll 
tell others. If you 
aren’t, we’ll try to 
match you up with 
one. 

“PCjr Lives” 

T' shirts 

Top quality cot- 
' ton. To order, call today. 


Racore Corporate Offices: (800) 325-1833 

In California: (800) 255-7227 
Mid-Atlantic/Great Lakes area: (800) 321'8908 
Southeast area: (8(X)) 241-6490 

(B.M PC, PC XT and PCjr are Ttpuered tradmarhs of Inurruuicmal Busineu MdcKinet Corp. 

(■2-3 ond Symphony are trademarla of Lotus On«iopm«n( Corp. 


DrifC Tuo u a iraiemorii of Racore Corp. 


® Copyn|ht 1 985 Rocorr Corp, 




CIRCLE 167 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 




The fastest C.The C that Microsoft 
developed to write its own software 
programs. Hot. 

So hot that we can make this claim: 
Virtually every program runs faster 

with Microsoft^ C Compiler than with 

any other MS-DOS” C compiler. 

Efficient C. 

We give you everything you need to 
write code so tight your computer will 
scream. 

“Preliminary testing on the Microsoft C 
Compiler produced code that was simi- 
ficantly smaller than that produced by 
other C compilers” 

Paul Springer, Ashton-Tate. 

“We found the FAR pointer very helpful 
for situations where a mix of memory 
models offers the greatest efficiency.” 

Robert Frankston, Software Arts. 

“The portability of the code between 
MS-DOS and XENIX^ is great!’ 

Jim Bean, Peachtree Software. 

But it’s really no surprise that our C 
stretches your micro to its limits. We 
wrote both the MS-DOS and the 
XENIX operating systems. 


*Purchase both Microsoft C Compiler and Microsoft Macro Assembler 
and get a $25 rebate direct from Microsoft. See package for details. 


For the name of your nearest Microsoft 
dealer, or to upgrade from Microsoft C 

^’MICROSOFT; 

C3.ll (oUU ) The High ftrformance Software’* 

In Washington State, Alaska, Hawaii 
and Canada, call (206) 828-8088. 

And make your programs really cook. 


Microsoft C Compiler Version 3.0 
Microsoft C Compiler 

♦ Produces compact code and fast executables. 

♦ Implements register variables. 

♦ Small. Medium and Large Memory model Libraries-Mix models 
with NEAR and FAR pointers. 

•Transport source and object code between MS-EXDS &. XENIX 
operating systems. 

♦ Library routines implement most of UNIX System V C library. 

♦ Choose from three Math libraries and generate in-line 8087/287 
insmicdons or floating point calls. 

—Floating point emulator (utilizes the 8087/287 if installed). 
—8087/287 coprocessor support. 

—Alternate math package— extra speed on systems without an 
8087/287. 

♦ Link routines written in Microsoft FORTRAN |V 3.3 or higher). 
Microsoft I^scal (V 3.3 or higher) or Microsoft Macro Assembler. 

♦Supports MS-DOS pathnames and Input/Output redirection. 

♦ File sharing and record and file locking is supponed. 

♦ Do source level debuggir^g, with the Symbolic Debug Utility, 
available separately with the Microsoft Macro Assembler Package* 

Library Manager 

Create, organize and maintain your objea module libraries created 
with Microsoft languages. 

Object Code lii^r 

♦ Simple overlay linker combines relocatable objea modules created 
using Microsoft Languages into a single program. 

♦ Link very large programs (over IMB, using oserbys). 

EXEPACK Utility 

A new utility to compress sequences of identical charaaers from an 
executable file and to optimize the relocation table. 

EXEMOD Utility 

A new utility used to modify the fields in the header according to 
the instructior\s given by the user in the command line. 

‘C’ Benchmarks— done on a Compaq Plus with 512k memory 
with no 8087. Program “SIEVE’,' with register variables. 

Exec Time Code Size EXE Size 
Microsoft C :9.39 141 5.914 

UtticeC :12.24 164 20.072 



Microsoft, MS-DOS and XENIX are registered trademarks and 
The High fcrformance Software is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


special effects such as animation, rotation, 
and sizing. 

Try to create a circle, and you will 
quickly find out how easy the software is to 
use. With some packages, you indicate the 


center and then press the arrow keys until 
the circle displayed on the screen has 
grown to the desired size. Other packages 
require you to visualize where the circle 
will appear as you specify only the center 


of the circle and one point on its circumfer- 
ence. The teal challenge comes with soft- 
ware that makes you specify the box that 
would enclose the circle with the circle 
touching the midpoint of each side. A per- 
fect square will produce a circle while rect- 
angles produce ellipses. If you think this 
process may be slightly confusing, you’re 
right. It takes some practice to create and 
position circles just where you want them. 

Electronic Clip-Art 

For those who simply refuse to draw, 
there is electronic clip-art. You “cut out” 
professionally drawn images and “paste" 


The advantage of 
using electronic 
clip-art is that 
you can easily 
dress up your more 
abstract graphs 
with pictures. 

them onto your own images for a custom- 
ized look. Several software packages let 
you select from a large collection of pre- 
drawn images relating to a variety of sub- 
jects. The advantage of using electronic 
clip-ait is that you can easily dress up your 
more abstract graphs of numerical data 
with pictures. This can add a refreshing 
and creative touch to statistical graphs. In 
selecting electronic clip-art, look for a 
package that includes printed copies of all 
images for easier selection, allows you to 
choose new color combinations for the im- 
ages, lets you use parts of full-screen im- 
ages, and makes customizing easy to avoid 
a prefabricated look. 

You may think that many topics are too 
abstract or complex for visual representa- 
tion and that in these cases electronic clip- 
art would prove largely useless. Data ta- 
bles and “word slides" may seem a more 
practical alternative. Actually, however, 
most topics can be depicted at least indi- 
rectly. For example, you can portray an 
abstract topic by showing something con- 
crete associated with it, such as an hour- 
glass to represent the idea of time. 



DO YOU FEEL ALL ALONE 
OUT THERE WHEN IT’S TIME 
TO RUN DOS ON YOUR PC? 


m STARBRIDGE 
^ DOS 

A Menu Interface Program Introducing 
One-Key Access to DOS Commands 
DOS Expertise No Longer Needed. 


SYSTEM FEATURES 

* Selection of "plain English" 
commands with one key-stroke 

ir Access to on-line help prompts 
and graphics at any time 

ir Single keystroke tagging of 
multiple files for copy in one 
operation 

■k Access to a complete on-line 
DOS reference guide with 
easy-to-follow examples 

* Custom Menu building for your 
application programs 

if A communications program is 
included for access to the 
Starbridge Electronic support 
HOTLINE. 

•k Automatic display of PC 
“vital signs" 

Current disk drive at any time 
Disk space available status 
Low disk space warning message 
RAM memory on-board and 
’ available at any time 
System date and time 


RUNS ON THE FOLLOWING PC s: 

IBM - PC. XT. PCjnr 

Portable PC or PC AT 
AT&T 6300 PC 

COMPAQ or any true IBM compatible 
PC — DOS 2.0. 2.10 or 3.0 

We suggest your PC have a minimum ot ^ 28KB. 
Our program requires 64KB 

Dealer Order Hotline: call for sales kit 
(213) 277-8324 

PLEASE VISIT US AT COMDEX 
BOOTH rr6506 


(213)277-3163 

S49. 95/Copy Plus 52.50 Shipping 



L Cneca P VISA n MetierCerd C»r« 




1925 Century Park East 
Los Angeles, Calif. 90067 


CIRCLE 196 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 



lassie CDBOL. 


Tnie mainframe COBOL for 
your microcomputer. Validated by 
the GSA at the highest possible 
level of compliance with the 
ANSI 74 standard. With Microsoft® 
COBOL, mainframe programmers 
can be productive on MS-DOS™ 
and Microsoft XENIX® micro- 
computers immediately. 

Speed and Beauty. 

High performance in a COBOL 
program comes mostly from the 
speed of the ISAM. And Microsoft 
COBOL 2.0 has the fastest ISAM 
on the market. 

And our advanced screen 
handling capability lets you create 
the highly interactive programs that 
end users prefer. 

VW wrote the book. 

It’s no surprise that IBM? DECf 
AT&T, H-P and Wang® all chose 
Microsoft COBOL for their 
MS-DOS machines. We know how 
to get the most out of their micro- 
computers. After all, we designed the 
operating system. 


So call (800) 426-9400. In 
Washington State, Alaska, Hawaii 

DM trim'' MICROSOFT. 

^Z'UOJ OZO''OUOU. The High Performance Software™ 

We’ll give you the name of your 
nearest Microsoft dealer or help you 
update to Microsoft COBOL 2.0. 


Certified High Level Compiler: 

♦ GSA validation at the Federal High Level of 
compliance with the ANSI 74 standard. 

♦ Built in sort-metge, chaining, dynamic calling, 
and overlays. 

Fast multi-key ISAM: 

♦ Split-keys and duplicate keys. 

♦ Benchmark results of 5000 reads and writes to 
an ISAM file: 

Microsoft Realta MicroFocus® Ryan*McFarUind® 
COBOL 2.0 COBOL Native Code COBOL 2.0 
™,. 1:32 1:56 2:58 3:30 

Interactive extended screen section: 

♦ Cursor positioning, auto skip, automatic data field 
formatting. 

♦ ACCEPT and DISPLAY data by the screen full. 
Productivity utilities: 

♦ Interactive Symbolic Debugger. 

♦ Rebuild file recovery utility restores corrupted 
ISAM files. 

Price: 

♦ $700 for compiler and utilities. 

» No runtime royalty fees. 

Minimum System requirements: 

♦ MS-DOS 2.0 or later, 192K RAM, and one disk 
drive. 

♦ Xenix 286, 512K RAM, and one disk drive. 



Miemaoft «nd Xenix are restaiered irkiemarka and 
The Perfimnance Saftware a » trademark of 
MKroioft Cbrpoeaoon IBM it a regixiercd trademark of 
Internanoital Busineu Machines DEC i* a regtstered 
trademark of Di){i(a] Equipment Corp.Wanf; a a reentered 
trademark of Wang Laboraiortn. Inc MKroEocus a a rexniered 
trademark of MicroFocus Ryan-Mc^rbnd Is 
a regniered trademark of Ryan-McFarland 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


COMPOSITION OF CRUDE SUPPLY, 1995 

(LOW SYNTHETIC CASE) 

QUEBEC mbpcd) 

68 % 


27 % 


T% WEST+ONTARIO 

r- 63 % 

37 % 


SYNTHETIC 

CANADIAN CONVENTIONAL 

OFFSHORE 

FRONTIER 


INDUSTRY 
42% 



A problem to avoid; this series of 3-0 pie charts gives a skewed picture of the data. Notice that 
Industry's 42 percent slice looks larger than Quebec’s 68 percent. 


After you create your electronic graph- 
ics, you'll need a way to show them to oth- 
ers if your goal is to give a presentation. 
Yet creating 35mm slides, transparencies, 
or prints of your screen graphics requires 
extra time and money. And sometimes 
what you see on the monitor screen is not 
what you get in the reproductions. One so- 
lution is to show your “slides” right from 
the computer’s screen. For small meet- 
ings, screen shows are replacing tradition- 
al slide shows because they eliminate the 
extra, often costly step of creating color 
slides and transparencies from the comput- 
er image. Slide show software allows you 
to display your screen images in any order 
you choose. 

Look for a package that allows both 
manual and automatic advance of screen 
images, uses “special effects" transitions 
(curtains, dissolves, wipes), allows vari- 
able time between images when automatic 
advance is used, and can hold a large num- 


Last year the expertstested 
the top-of-the-line 
loshiba 3^-One printer. 

Here^s what they said. 

^ ^ When Toshiba America called to see 
if there were problems testing their printers, 

I responded, You bet — I can't get the P1351 
off Bill Machrone's desk long enough to get 
its picture taken!' It's that good.J J 

(BillMachroneisthe PC Magazine 

editor of PC Magazine,) November 27 1984 


It is setting new standards for quality and 
performance in the dot matrix arena. W 


Computers & Electronics Magazine 
November 1984 


250 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 



ber of “slides" on one diskette. With 
large-screen projection equipment, you 
can even use screen shows for presenta- 
tions to large groups. As computer equip- 
ment becomes as readily available as slide 
projectors, you can begin carrying a disk- 
ette instead of a slide tray to your presenta- 
tions. 

Enhancement and Output Software 

PC screen graphics have characteristic 
ragged edges called "jaggies.” When 
filmed and projected onto a large screen 
for a presentation, these ragged edges 
loom as "giant jaggies,” not an impres- 
sive sight for your audience. Using en- 
hancement software and the associated im- 
aging service, you can get rid of the ragged 
edges in slides and transparencies made 
from your microcomputer graphics. You 
merely transmit your jagged graphics over 
a modem to a service center after using the 
company's software to translate your im- 



NORTHERN REGION , TOTAL UNITS 


COFFER CATEGORY 

sunnV day / 


P CAFB SUPREME 

□ gold\choice\ 


□ PRIVAf£ LABEL 


Although on first glance this map is impressive, its vivid colors, combined with a distracting 
background grid pattern, can steal attention from what is really most important: the data. 


Imagine what they will say 
atxxit its successor. 

The New Toshiba P351 3-in-One printer. They could 
say that inside the sleek new Toshiba P351 you'll find the 
ultimate 3-in-One printer. Because it offers a combination of: 

Letter-quality printing. Perfectly translated graphics. 

And speed. (100 cps letter. And draft speed improved to 
288 cps.) 

They could say you'll appreciate the 24-pin dot matrix 
head that gives the Ffel its exemplary letter and graphic 
quality 

They could say the new P351 gives you an almost 
unlimited number of ways to express yourself. With both 
downloadable software fonts and new plug-in font 
cartridges. 

In Ibiich %vfth Ibmorrow 

TOSHIBA 

lOSHeA AMERCA. INC mtormaion Sy9en>s Onnscn 
CIRCLE 203 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11 , 1985 251 



only the best looking printer in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. 
But also the most reliable. 

Of course, we're not putting words in their mouths. 
Just the ultimate 3-in-One printer in their hands. And yours. 

For complete information call 1-800-457-7777 
Operator 32. 







Clear advantage! 

This board will expand to 4 Megabytes, 4 serial ports and starts at 
$395. That's only part of the story . . . 


W e love a good story. Better 
than that, we love a great 
product. Alter researching the ex- 
pansion needs of AT users, we have 
concluded that the Basic Time 
AT4X4P1 u 5 provides the best array of 
standard features and upgradeabiUty 
available. Compare the AT4X4Plus, 
feature by feature, to the AST 
Research Advantage!™ expansion 
board in terms of main board 
memory, total expansion memory, 
I/O capability, and price. You will 
then discover who has the clear 
advantage. 

You Con Never Hove Enough 
Memory. 

That is the oldest saying in com- 
puters. Two years ago, customers 
asked us what they could do with 
256K on a PC. How times have 
changed . . . AT4X4Plus can hold 
up to 4 Megabytes of memory — 2 
Megabytes on the board itself and 2 
on the 4X4RamPak. An important 
feature for future multi-user systems. 

The 4X4*8 "double split memory 
addressing" capability gives you the 
choice of using 64K or 256K RAM 
chips in the first bank of memory. A 
single row of 64K chips gives you 
128K and is just right for the enhanc- 
ed AT. Using 256K chips in the first 
row enables you to "max out" user 
memory to 640K on an unenhanced 
AT with a single row of chips. The re- 
maining 128K will be available above 
the 1 MEG memory boundary. A first 


row using 256K chips added to a 
enhanced AT will give you 640K user 
memory and 384K above the 1 MEG 
boundary. The memory above 1 
MEG can be used by DOS 3.X for 
VDISK, a virtual ram disk. We think 
that a 512K board (a first row of 256K 
chips) is your best buy. 

Want Real I/O Power? 

Multifunction boards only start 
with memory. The AT4X4Plu8 comes 
standard with a parallel printer port 
and an asynchronous serial 
(RS-232C) communications port. 
Have more than one serial device? 
No problem, 3 more are optional, 1 
on the AT4X4Plus itself and 2 more 
on the 4X4DualSerialPak piggy-back 
board. Need a game port for a 
joystick or mouse? It's also available 
as an option. 

Your Satisfaction Is Guaranteed. 

With apologies to AST Research's 
advertising, we think at least 4 out of 
5 AT expansion board buyers want 
more capability at lower cost. The 
AT4X4Plus is the clear choice and we 
guarantee it. If you are not complete- 
ly satisfied with your AT4X4Plu8 
within 30 days of purchase you may 
return it for a full refund, including 
the freight to return it. And if you 
should ever have a problem during 
the twelve month warranty period, 
we will fix or replace your board 
within 48 hours of receipt. 


AT4X4PIUS Prices: 

AT4Z4-128 1 pftiAllal, 1 Mrul, 128K $395 

AT4X4-512 1 pvsUal, 1 MfUl, 512K 495 

AT4X4-1MB 1 p«r4U«l, 1 witol, 1 MZG 695 

AT4X4-2MB 1 pualUl, 1 —rial. 2 MEG 1095 

AT4X4Plus Option Prices: 

AT4X4-2S wcond Mrial port os 4X4 board $50 
AT4X4-RAM 2 MSG 4X4IUaPalc 995 

AT4X4 SER 2 tarlal port 4X41>ualSartalPak 295 
AT4X4*GAME gama port 3S 

AT4X4-PCP praianrad cuatomar plan 
(24*montli warranty, 24-honr rapaira) 75 


All piicM includ* UPS luifac* chaigM. For 
iast dnlivery, Mod canhinr'a chock, monoy 
ordar, or order by UactorcardATiu. Pononal 
checks, allow 18 days to clear. Id a hurry? UPS 
Blue Label in juat $5.00. Company purchase 
orders accepted, call lor prior authorixation. 
Caliiomla residents, add 6H sales tax. 

Hours: M‘F 8 am- 5 pm PTZ 
Sat. 9 am • 1 pm PTZ 
London (01) 871-2855 
Paris (01) 321-5316 
Sydney (02) 579-3322 
Canada (403) 438-0994 


Outside CoUionla 

1 - 800 - 821-4479 

CalUerala 

1 - 805 - 987-9741 



4809 Calle Alto 
Ciunaiillo, Caliiomla 93010 


QUB/E' 

Order Today, 

Shipped Tomorrow!™ 

® 1965, Qttble'. Advantage! ia a ragiatarad tradamark 
ol AST Raaaarch Inc- 


CIRCLE 247 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





Designed for the small business. The 
Comply Accountant works for you, 
providing the timely and reliable 
information needed to develop 
strat^es and make good management 
decisions. 

With the GL, AR, AP, Payroll, and 
Inventory programs that provide over 
51 easy-to-understand reports, The 
Company Accountant handles your 
small business accounting nee^ now 
and in the future. 

A system to fit your needs 

The Company Accountant is built to be 
flexible with programs that can be 
tailored to your needs. The programs 
can be used individually or together, 
with each pix^ram fully explained in 
the clearly written manual. 

The manual reviews basic accounting 
principles with a comprehensive 
tutorial, a command and report 
reference, and a complete ^ossary of 
accounting and computer terms. 

System Requirements 
IBM PC. XT. AT or true compaUble with i28K RAM: 
Monodirame or color monitor: DOS 2.0 or 0 «atcr; 2 320K 
dbk drives or 1 320K disk drive and I hard aisle; Printer 
capable ol 132 columni 


Sjjeed ^uld accuracy 

The Company Accountant is a fully 
integrated system that makes 
accounting fast, efficient, and accurate. 
Using the double entry method with 
complete integration, you only enter 
figures once. And they are always 
current as of the last transaction. 

On demand, The Company Accountant 
provides a wide variety of reports, 
ran^ng from the familiar balance sheet 
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vendor activity, payroll information, 
inventory values, and stock levels. 

Double entry, plus... 

• Password security 

• Hard disk support 

• Capacities limited only by disk space 

• Creates DIF files for use with other 
programs 

• Data compatible with: 

Rocky Mountain Desktop 
Acrountant 
Insoft Accountant 
Peachtree PeachPak 4 series 

• Multiple departments, up to 99 

• Customer and vendor mailing labels 

• Full audit trail and control reports 

• FREE telephone support 


Great price 

Now double entry accounting becomes 
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$395, very affordable! 

To order The Company Accountant or 
for more information, pick up the 
telephone and call (503) 639-4907 
TODAY! 



mnusE 

SOFTWARE 


12062 S.W, Garden Place 
Portland, Oregon 97223 


You can also request detailed descriptions of 
these promms with sample reports by mail. 
Simply fill out this coupon or attach your 
business card and mail to In-House 
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you by first-class mail. 

VISA. Master Chai^ A American Express accepted 


NAME 


1 ADDRESS 

1 OlY 

STATC 

ZIP 


L ' 

c 



QM is • ndmiHiaf baenwlionil I 


nf d nnp A<ccw»Mn»lradwimtq< Rocky M ou n lii n SotN i ieSyamis • ImoA Accountant iiaaademirk at Incoft. Inc • PndiPafctnibadefTwifeaffticMeeScRMMe 


CIRCLE 245 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


ages, and it will return picture-perfect 
slides with a 4,000- by 4,000-line resolu- 
tion. 

Enhancement software generally costs 
several hundred dollars, and you pay a 


small fee each time you use the service. 
Still, it’s a much cheaper way to go than 
buying hardware to produce slides of com- 
parable quality. The only catch is that 
these services generally are limited to the 


standard chart options and word slides. 
Freehand graphics, such as those created 
by paint and draw programs, are not candi- 
dates for this type of service because of the 
way the visutd information is coded. En- 
hancement software can only snvxrth out 
graphics that were originally stored as rec- 
ognizable geometric shapes such as cir- 
cles, boxes, and line segments. Most 
graphics packages store fiill-screen images 
as a collection of dots. Our brains organize 
those dots into shapes and meaningful pat- 
terns as we view them, but the enhance- 
ment software can’t tell a curve from a 
straight line, so it doesn’t know which dots 
to act upon. For a fee, some enhancement 
services will use sophisticated graphics 
workstations to make slides of your free- 
hand graphics. 


As graphics 
software is 
standardized, PC 
graphics will 
become 

increasingly more 
portable. 

To produce hard-copy output of your 
graphics, the graphics software must be 
compatible with the printer or plotter you 
are using. If it’s not, there are graphics 
transport and dump programs that can 
remedy the problem. 'They capture the im- 
age and transport it to other programs or 
send it to your output device. Before you 
buy an enhaiKement or output program, 
make sure that it requires no extra memo- 
ry, is compatible with your software and 
hardware, and allows for future additions 
of hardware and software. Many output 
prograrrrs only allow a specific graphics 
software package to send its images to a 
limited number of output devices. Recent- 
ly, more general-purpose device drivers 
have been developed to interface between 
any graphics software that conforms to a 
particular standard and a large number of 
devices. In fact, you can save your PC 
graphics in a “device independent’’ file 
that other computers including main- 




Now you can 
create database 
applications in 
minutes without 
programming. 

• Generate dBASE 
programs automatically 
Programs are commented 
and bug-free 


QUICKREPORT^” 

dBASE Report Writer 

A full featured report writer for any 
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• Connect up to 6 databases 
per report 

• No programming required 

• Draw reports on screen 

• 16 levels of sorting 

• 16 levels of totalling 

• Use bold, underlining / * Data Entry Programs/Fbrms 

• Print forms / * Data validation programs 

• Date, arithmetic / * Computed fields 

• Up to 255 / • Multi-page forms 

columns wide / • Menu Generator 

OUICKCODE-III 

SIMPLE/ dBASE-lll Program Generator 

Also Available: 

dGRAPH-lll— Quality graphics for dBASE-ll 
dUTIL-lll— Programming utility for dBASE-lll 
NEMf/QUICKINDEX— Index Files up to 90% faster than dBASE 
Available from your local dealer. 

FOX & GELLER 
604 MARKET ST. 

ELMWOOD PARK, 

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dBASE" Aslrton-Tate Ouickreport and OuickCode" of Fox & Geller 


800 - 221-0156 

IN NJ (201) 794-8883 
VISA, MACTER CARD accepted 


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CIRCLE 246 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


254 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE W, 1985 




Only from Topaz . . . 


Powermaker* Micro UPS 

Uninterruptible, computer-grade power 
— at half the cost 



It's in a class by itself. 

For about half the cost of other Unin- 
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with our Powermaker Micro UPS. This 
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Providing up to 75 minutes of con- 
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Powermaker Micro UPS is compatible 
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fully automatic, maintenance-free, 
portable and compact. It fits neatly 
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tell when you’ve lost primary power, 
our little UPS even features an audible 
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But be.st of all is the price. The Power- 
maker Micro UPS is priced right and is 
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more about our Powermaker Micro UPS. 
Call us at (619) 279-0831, or contact 
your local Square D distributor. 


TORAZ 

Excellence In Computer Power 
SqUflWE I] COMPHWY 



Dynamic Software. . .Sophisticated 
Graphics . . .Simple to Use 

Dr. HALO is a simple to use software program, 
friendly to both the greenest computer-newcomer 

and the high- 

tech profes- Sourcas of P«r Capita Incomo 

sionai. It (coiwtoni igao ooasn) 

performs 
beautifully as 
your graphics 
helper, soft- 
ware enhancer 
and all around 
graphics inte- 
grator. High 
resolution 

monochrome or color graphics are professionally 
rendered by the good Doctor. All for a price that’s 
designed to pique your interest: $99.95. 

A Colorful Performer 

How does it work? Point and Pick. Simply select 
the ‘‘icon"you want to use to create each part of the 

picture. What 
are your 
choices? 
Pencil, Paint 
Can, Type 
Styles, 

Airbrush, Line 
Styles, are only 
a few. Pop-up 
menus add 
power and 
flexibility to the 

main icons for sketching, painting, cutting and 
pasting, drawing curves, etc. 

Dr. HALO'S symbol library lets you store any 
symbol you've created and retrieve it to use in future 
programs/reports/ presentations/ floor plans/ circuit 
design. Should you want to use that symbol as a 
logo, paintbrush or hatch pattern, it’s always there to 
use again. 

Dr. HALO’S eight high quality type faces give you 
a broad choice of styles with which to shape your 
ideas — italic, serif, sans serif and greek in virtually 
any size that fits on the screen. You determine line 
width, type path, colors, and pattern fills. 



FAVOim LQSUIiE 
ACnVITIES 1984 


jJ. 


CIRCLE 160 ON READER SERVICE CARO 


Dr. HALO can support all the colors your graphics 
card has to offer. Colors can be changed, inter- 
changed and reversed. And with Dr. HALO any image 
can be rotated, flipped or mirrored. 

All Things to All People 

, Dr. HALO’S unique flexibility hails from the most 
widely used library of graphics functions under MS^/ 
DOS today— HALO. 

With its 

GRAB and ' 

SHOW pro- ' 

grams. Dr. 

HALO allows 
you to capture 
graphics from 
other applica- 
tions including 
LOTUS 1-2-3,'^ 

SUPERCALC,<» 
and even CAD 
packages and assemble them as a slide show. 

If you have an IBf/T^ PC, XT, AT, PC Jr., Texas 
Instruments ProfessionaP> or any IBM compatible 
computer, you’re ready to run with Dr. HALO. A 
mouse, joystick, digitizer, touch-pad or keyboard will 
bring your screen to life. And Dr. HALO supports the 
most popular monochrome and color graphics 
boards, and dot matrix, color and inkjet printers. 

So if you want dynamic graphics that clearly put 
your whole message across, send for the software 

that paints the 
whole picture. 
Dr. HALO. 

To order or 
receive infor- 
mation: Call 
Media Cyber- 
netics, Inc., 
(301)270D2 
or call 
free (8a, 
446-HAi 


media cybernetics 

MS, LOTUS 1-2-3, SUPERCALC. IBM, Texas Instruments Professional are a 
tredemartis of Microsoft Corporatloo, Lotus Development Corporation, Sorcim 
International Business Machines, and Texas Instruments Incorporated respective 





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PC Magazine— 

The ultimate source of business 
and professional IBM PC appli- 
cations-a virtual encyclopedia 
of information for PC users! 

The unbiased reviews, proven 
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Make sure you have a com- 
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Subscribe to PC Magazine 
today! 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


frames, can use. As graphics software is 
standardized, PC graphics will become in- 
creasingly more portable. 

Selecting a Graphics Package 

If you plan to use graphics software to 
make presentations, then you probably 
need a package that includes drawing ca- 
pability, clip-art, and a slide show option, 
as well as the standard charts and graphs. 
But if your goal is to visualize your nu- 
merical data to understand it better before 
making decisions, then it is important to 
select a package that can easily tap into 


Many of the 
jazzier packages 
include only the 
standard formats — 
bar, line, and pie 
charts. 

your database and present the information 
in a visual format. What type of charts and 
graphs do you need? Many of the jazzier 
presentation packages include only the 
standard formats — bar, line, and pie 
charts. And even those formats may have 
limited options. For example, many pack- 
ages will not show negative values in a bar 
chart (that is, descending as well as as- 
cending bars). Many don't include statisti- 
cal capabilities such as fitting a regression 
line to a set of points. Perhaps you need 
balance sheets or PERT, Gantt, or organi- 
zational charts — all types not found in the 
typical business graphics package. Check 
out the capabilities of the package before 
you buy. 

Do you really need drawing and clip-art 
capabilities? If many of your presentation 
“visuals” are actually words— headings, 
terms, and main categories — most of your 
presentation graphics may end up being 
word slides. In this case, you should select 
a graphics package that has a variety of 
typefaces and type sizes. You’ll be able to 
take advantage of the graphics enhance- 
ment services for crisp, easy-to-read 
slides. But remember that to get the maxi- 



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CIRCLE 118 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



Operate your office PC from home ... 


Use the power of your office-bound PC at home pr on Sie road . 
you need is REMOTE. 

Whatever PC power you may need, spreadsheet, DBMS, word 
processor, can be yours. All you need is a portable computer or terminal 
and a modem. REMOTE provides password protection for each user. 

Leave your PC in the office .. . but pack 
the power to go. REMOTE. 


IMK:aK>STUFI * 


REIIII0|E 


1000 Holcomb Woods Parkway / Roswell, Georgia 30076 


CIRCLE 212 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


257 



Double your IBM PC’s 
procesang speed for under $650. 


AT speed for your IBM PC. with 
QuadSprint by Quadram. 

Quadram introduces a rapid advancement 
in IBM PC performance. QuadSprint. The 
innovative expansion board that doubles 
the processing speed of your personal 
computer. Just plug the totally 
transparent QuadSprint into your system 
and watch all your PC programs (Lotus 
1-2-3, dBASE 111, Wordstar, and more*) run 
faster and more efficiently than ever 
before . . . without special commands or 
interface software. 

But best of all, you can pick up QuadSprint 
without running up a huge bill. At less 
than $650, QuadSprint is about half the 
price of other accelerator (turbo) cards 
and turns your PC into a machine that’s 
virtually as fast as the new PC AT. 


So make your own rapid advancement. 
To the Quadram dealer closest to you . 
And see how to double the processing 
speed of your IBM PC. With QuadSprint 
by Quadram. 



QUADRAM 

An Inteilgen* 9y«)erns C<ynpany 


4355 IntemaUonal Blvd./Norcross. Oa. 30083 
(404) 923-66eO/TWX 610-786-4915 (QUADRAM NCRS) 


CIRCLE 487 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



IBM' K.FCATarerraisteredtraciernarksoflntarnationalBusinessMacrijnesCorporation *1-2-3isatradem3rkofLotusDevetopmentCarp.dBASENIisa 
trademark of Ashton rate. Inc. Wordstar s a trademark of MicroPro Corp. i Copyright 1964 Quaoram Corporation. All rights reserved 


BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


IBM AT THE OFFICE 

APPLE AT HOME 


mum benefit of graphics and really catch 
people’s interest, you need pictures. 

What about the data-handling capabili- 
ties of graphics software? Many presenta- 
tion graphics packages have very limited 
data ca^ilities. Others are limited only 
by the amount of memoty available on 
your system. If you have a large database, 
you need a package that can handle large 
amounts of data and transfer data directly 
from your database or spreadsheet files. 

Should you create screen-based slide 
shows or 3Smm slide presentations? If you 
give presentations to large groups and your 
presentations consist mostly of word 
charts and the standard set of business 
graphs, you would be better off with 
3Smm slides produced by an enhancement 
service. For small and medium-size 
groups, screen shows are easier and give 
you a major advantage— animation. You 
can highlight important points by animat- 
ing the part of the image that you don’t 
want your viewers to miss. 


People like to see 
color, and it has 
a strong effect on 
us whether we 
realize it or not. 

If you have a limited budget, should 
your money go toward high-resolution 
graphics or full-color graphics? If you 
want to make a strong impact on your audi- 
ence with presentation graphics, you 
should probably opt for packages with col- 
or palette options and multicoloted clip-art. 
People like to see color, and it has a strong 
effect on us whether we realize it or not. 
The warmer colors (red and orange) excite 
us while the cooler colors (blue and green) 
are more soothing. The brighter, warmer 
colors will draw a viewer’s attention first. 
Most packages that allow you to create 
graphics in color also allow you to change 
the colors until you achieve the desired ef- 
fect. But if you need precision graphics 
that show every detail, then look for a 


NO PROBLEM! 


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CIRCLE 209 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



PC power 


REMOTE lets v'oflr'OseaH'of'TMk^llgpftwarg from the other end of a 
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All you need is a terminal or portable microcomputer, a modem, and a 
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REMOTE'S powerful electronic mail system rivals those found on main- 
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office . . . when you can give it a call with 
REMOTE? 


IMCROSTUFI ” 


RElHIOfE 


ICXX) Holcomb Woods Parkway / Roswell, Georgia 30076 


CIRCLE 213 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11. 1985 


259 





•IM NEW J 


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CIRCLE 117 ON READER SERVICE CARD 









BUSINESS GRAPHICS 


package that you can connect to an en- 
hancement service. High-resolution 
graphics may be more appropriate for in- 
formation that is technical or specific and 
for audiences that think analytically. 

Do prompted menus offer any advan- 
tages over command-driven software? If 
you will be using a graphics package fte- 
quently and extensively, you may prefer a 


If you will be 
using a graphics 
package frequently 
and extensively, 
you may prefer a 
command-driven 
package. 

command-driven package. Although it 
takes longer to leam and remember all of 
the commands, command-driven pack- 
ages offer speed and flexibility once you 
become familiar with them. However, if 
you will use the graphics package infre- 
quently and along with a variety of other 
applications packages, then a menu-driven 
package is worth consideration. Some- 
times it feels like being spoon-fed to be 
prompted for every detail when creating a 
chart, and cycling through menu options 
can be cumbersome. But it beats wading 
through the manual for 10 minutes to find a 
particular command . 

Who needs graphics packages with lay- 
out intelligence? Unless you are an expert 
in visual communication, wouldn't you 
like expert advice about how a graph 
should be designed? It may be worth the 
extra expense for software with built-in ex- 
pertise that you can rely on to make the 
right layout decisions. And the more you 
leam from the artificial expert about de- 
signing graphics, the less you will rely on 
it as you develop expertise of your own. 

Business graphics can help you meet 
the challenge of the competitive informa- 
tion age. Learn to use this two-edged 
sword well, and it will leave you a cut 
above the rest. Ignore its power, and you 
may find yourself cut out of the picture of 
success entirely. ■ 


CopyWrite 
backs up 

IBM PC Software 

Hundreds of the most popular copy-protected programs are copied 
readily. CopyWrite needs no complicated parameters. 

Requirements: IBM Personal Computer or XT 
128k bytes of memory, 
one diskette drive. 

CopyWrite will run faster with 
more memory or another drive. 

CopyWrite is revised monthly, to keep up with the latest in copy 
protection. You may get a new edition at any time for a $ 15 trade in fee. 

CopyWrite makes back up copies to protect you against accidental 
loss of your software. It is not for producing copies for sale or trade, or for 
any other use that deprives the author of payment for his work. 

To order CopyWrite, call with your credit card or mail a check for 
$50 US funds to: 

Quaid Software Umited 

45 Charles Street East, Sixth Floor 
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 1 S2 
Telephone (416) 961-8243 

Ask about ZeroDisk to run copy-protected software from a hard disk. 



System service by REMOTE control. 

i»«ti _ i 


System troubleshooting’s enough bf a headache without adding travel 
to it. REMOTE can cut your service travel ... to nothing flat. 

REMOTE lets you access and operate a distant system via modem. 
You can troubleshoot the system from top to bottom, update or revise 
software and data files ... all without leaving yourolTice! 

Boost your system support efTiciency 
and your bottom line ... all you need is 
REMOTE! 


IMCROSTUFI * 


■EMOfE 


1000 Holcomb Woods Parkway / Roswell. Georgia 30076 


CIRCLE 214 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 


261 


For IBM-PC Add-On Users 

In A Pinch? Give €tIC The Inchi;. 

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PROGRAMMING • STEVE HOLZNER 


Watching for 
Disk Errors 

DOS lets many disk errors pass unobserved. 
Here’s howto spot them. 

M aybe I’m paranoid, but I have to 
confess that disks worry me. 

Disk drives contain the most 
moving parts in the PC, and they have to 
maintain the most delicate mechanical 
alignment. Gradual deterioration in perfor- 
mance is inevitable, both from casual head 
contamination and, ultimately, wear. And 
while catastrophic crashes or motor freeze- 
ups are rate, chances are that even these 
will be presaged by some signs of impend- 
ing trouble. 

DOS, of course, knows just how hard it 
is to reliably read and write bit streams on 
an imperfect, moving magnetic surface. 

Indeed, DOS retries each disk read five 
times before it turns things over to its criti- 
cal error handler and reports its failure with 
the unsettling “Abort, Retry or Ignore?” 
message. What DOS doesn’t tell you, 
however, is that it is having trouble. In- 
stead, it covers up the errors until they be- 
come serious enough to cause failure. In 
the case of ditty disk heads, for example, 
intermittent errors may begin to occur long 
before DOS reports them to you. While 
you can use the verify option to make sure 
that the file you wrote is readable at the 
time, head contamination may be making 
the transcription spotty and subsequently 
unreliable. 

Exposing the Coverup 

To correct this situation I’ve written a 
short utility called DSKWATCH.COM. 

The .ASM code for the program is shown 
in Figure 1 . Just in case you don’t happen 
to have IBM’s Macro Assembler (shame! 
shame!), you can key in the BASIC listing 
(Figure 2), and when you run the program. 


1985/No. 12 



DSKWATCH.COM will be created for 
you, automatically. [The program, in 
.ASM, .BAS, and .COM forms, is also 
available for pee downloading via modem 
from PC’s Interactive Reader Service 
(212)696-0360.— Ed.] 

DSKWATCH.COM’s job is simply to 
report all the intermittent errors DOS en- 
counters during its disk operations, usually 
before they grow serious enough to hall 
your programs. These intermittent prob- 
lems can be a sign of incipient failure. 
DSKWATCH simply puts a disk error 
message in the upper right-hand comer of 
the screen to alert you, at the minor crisis 
level, about dirty heads, an unreliable disk 
controller, or the like. DSKWATCH itself 
does not interfere with any program you 
have running: DOS alone continues to de- 
cide (following its 5-tiy mie) that a prob- 
lem is so intractable that it simply can’t go 


CIRCtE 537 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11. 1985 


2«3 


niustTMion: Greg Ragland 




PRCX3RAMMING 


on — as it does . for example , if you attempt 
to write on a write-protected disk. Since 
hardware errors don’t usually come out of 
nowhere. DSKWATCH may afford you 
advance warning of their impending pres- 
ence. 


When DSKWATCH is working you’ll 
(hopefully) never see it, so the natural 
place to put it is in your AUTOEXEC- 
.BAT file, where it will be read in each 
time you boot up. The program simply at- 
taches itself neatly.to DOS. and whenever 


the drives are used, DSKWATCH steps in 
and checks to see if there was an error be- 
fore giving control back to DOS to retry 
the operation. If there was, DSKWATCH 
tells you; otherwise, you won’t know it’s 
there at all. 


INTERRUPTS 

SEGMENT AT 0H 

;This is where the disk interrupt 


ORG 

13H*4 

;holds the address of its service routine 

DISK INT 

LABEL DWORD 


INTERRUPTS 

ENDS 


SCREEN 

SEGMENT 

AT 0B000H 

;A dummy segment to use as the 

SCREEN 

ENDS 


;Extra Segment so we can write to the display 

CODE_SEG 

SEGMENT 



ASSUME 

CS:CODE SEG 



ORG 

100B 

;ORG = 100H to make this into a .COM file 

FIRST: 

JMP 

LOAD_WATCH 

;First time through jump to initialize routine 


MSG_PART_1 DB 

'Disk error: ' ;Here are the error messages. 


MSG_PART_2 DB 

'No response Failed Seek NEC Error ' 



DB 

'Bad CRC SeenDMA Overrun Impos Sector' 



DB 

'No Addr MarkW. ProtectedErr Unknown ' 


FIRST_POSITION DW 

7 ; Position of 1st char on screen 


FLAGS 

DW 

? 


SCREEN_ 

SEG_OFFSET 

DW 0 ;0 for mono, 8000H for graphics 


OLD_DISK_INT 

DD ? ;Location of old disk interrupt 


RET_ADDR 

LABEL DWORD ;Used in fooling around with 


RET_ADDR_WORD 

DW 2 D0P(7) ; stack. 

DISK_WATCH 

PROC FAR 

;The Disk interrupt will now come here. 


ASSUME 

CS:CODE_SEG 



PUSRF 


;First, call old disk interrupt 


CALL 

OLD_DISK_INT 



PUSHF 


;Save the flags in memeory location "FLAGS" 


POP 

FLAGS 

; (cunning name). 


JC 

ERROR 

;If there was an error, carry flag will have 


JMP 

FIN 

; been set by Disk interrupt. 

ERROR: 

PUSH 

AX 

;AH has the status of the error 


PUSH 

CX 

;Push all used registers for politeness 


PUSH 

DX 



PUSH 

DI 



POSH 

SI 



PUSH 

ES 



LEA 

SI , MSG_PART_1 

;Always print "Disk Error: " part. 


ASSUME 

ES: SCREEN 

;Use screen as extra segment 


MOV 

DX, SCREEN 



MOV 

ES,DX 



MOV 

DI , SCREEN_SEG_OFFSET ;DI will be pointer to screen postion 


ADD 

DI,FIRST_P0SITI0N ;Add to point to desired area on screen 


CALL 

WRITE_TO_SCREEN 

:This writes 12 characters from [SI] to [DI] 


MOV 

DB,80H 

/Initialize for later comparisons 


MOV 

CX,7 

/Loop seven times 

E_LOOP: 

CMP 

AH,DH 

/Are error code and DH the same? 


JE 

E_FOUND 

/If yes. Error has been found 




(Figmt 1 eoHtmmsi 


Figure 1 : The assembly language source code for DSKWATCH .COM 


264 


PC MAGAZINEejUNE 11. 1985 





Th^ said it couMn^ be done. 
Boriand Did it.1Urbo Pascai 3j0 


The industry standard 

With more than 250.000 users worldwide Turbo 
Pascal is the industry's de facto standard. Turbo 
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BCO OPTION 


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Portability. 

Turbo Pascal is available today for most com- 
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An Offer You Can't Refuse. 

Until June 1st, 1985. you can get Turbo Pascal 3.0 
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for only S12405. As a matter of fact. If you own a 16- 
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might as well get both options right away and save 
almost $25. 


Update policy. 

As always, our first commitment is to our customers. 

You built Borland and we will atw^ honor ^r support. 

So, to make your upgrade to the exciting new version of 
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June 1st. 19851. 


TURBO MS The best just got better: 

2.0 PASCAL Introducing Turbo Pascal 3.0 

.1 — 1 We just added a whole range of exciting new 

features to Turtjo Pascal: 

• First, the vradd's fastest Pascal Cdmpiler just got 
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twice as fast as Turbo Pascal 2.01 No kidding. 

• Then, we totally rewrote the fie I/O system, and 
we also now support I/O redirection. 

• For the IBM PC versions, we've even added 
'turtle graphics" and full tree directory support. 

• For all 16 Bit versions, we now offer two addi- 
tional options: 6087 math coprocessor support 
for Intensive calculations and Binary Coded 
Decimals (BCD) for business applications. 

• And much much more. 

The Critics’ Choice 
Jeff Dunlemann, PC Magazine: "Language 
deal of the century . . . Turto Pascal: It 
introduces a new programming emimnment and 
runs like magic." 

Dave Garland, Popular Computing: "Most 
Pascal compilers barely dl on a disk, but Turbo 
Pascal packs an editor, compiler, linker, and run- 
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access memory." 

Jerry Poumelle, BYTE: "What I think the 
computer industry is headed lor: welt 
documented, standard, plenty of good features, 
and a reasonable pnce." 


n Binclimarli run on an IBM PC using MS Pascal version 3.2 and 
the DOS linker version 26 The 179 line program used is the "Gauss- 
SekM" program out of Alan R Miller's book ftisca/ programs ftir 
scwitists and engineers (Sybex. page 128) with a 3 dimensional 
non-singular matrix and a relaxation coettioeni of 1 0. 




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PROGRAMMING 


(CfutHnuedi 




ADD 

SI, 12 

; Point to next error message 


SHR 

DH,1 

/Divide DH by 2 


LOOP 

E_LOOP 

/Keep going until matched ^ DH=0 


CMP 

AH, 3 

/Error Code not even number/ 3 perhaps? 


JE 

E FOUND 

/If yes, have found the error 


ADD 

SI, 12 

/Err unknown/ unknown error returned 

E_FOOND:CALL 

WRITE_TO_SCREEN 

/Write the error message to screen 


POP 

ES ;Havinq 

done Pushes, here are the Pops 


POP 

SI 



POP 

DI 



POP 

DX 



POP 

CX 



POP 

AX 


FIN: 

POP 

RET ADDR_WORD 

/Fooling with the stack. We want to 


POP 

RET ADDR WORD [2] 

/preserve the flags but the old flags 


ADD 

SP,2 

/are still on the stack. First remove 


PUSH 

FLAGS 

/return address, then flags. Fill flags 


POPF 


/from "FLAGS", return to correct addr. 


JMP 

RET_ADDR 


DISK_ 

WATCH 

ENDP 


WRITE 

_TO_SCREEN 

PROC NEAR 

/Puts 12 characters on the screen 


MOV 

CX,12 

/Loop 12 times 

W_LCX)P: MOVE 

ES:BYTE PTR[DI], 

CS: [SI] /Move to the screen 


MOV 

AL,7 

/Move screen attribute into screen buffer 


MOV 

ES: [DI] ,AL 



INC 

DI 

/Point to next byte in screen buffer 


LOOP 

W_LOOP 

/Keep going until done. 


RET 


;Exeunt 

WRITE 

_TO_SCREEN 

ENDP 


LOAD_ 

WATCH 

PROC NEAR 

/This procedure intializes everything 


ASSUME 

DS : INTERRUPTS 

/The data segment will be the Interrupt area 


MOV 

AX, INTERRUPTS 



MOV 

DS,AX 



MOV 

AX,DISK_INT 

/Get the old interrupt service routine 


MOV 

OLD_DISK_INT,AX 

/address and put it into our location 


MOV 

AX,DISK_INT[2] 

/OLD DISK INT SO we can call it. 


MOV 

OLD_DISK_INT[2] , 

AX 


MOV 

DISK_INT, OFFSET 

DISK_WATCH /Now load the address of DskWatch 


MOV 

DISK_INT[2] ,CS 

/routine into the Disk interrupt 


MOV 

AH, 15 

/Ask for service 15 of INT 10H 


I NT 

10H 

/This tells us how display is set up 


SUB 

AH, 25 

/Move to twenty five places before edge 


SHL 

AH,1 

/Mult by two (char & attribute bytes) 


MOV 

BYTE PTR FIRST_P0SITI0N,AH ;Set screen Cursor 


TEST 

AL,4 

/Is it a monochrome display? 


JNZ 

EXIT 

/Yes - jump out 


MOV 

SCREEN_SEG_OFFSET, 8000H ;No - set up for graphics display 

EXIT: 

MOV 

DX, OFFSET LOAD_WATCH ;Set up everything but this program to 


INT 

27H 

/stay and attach itself to DOS 

LOAD_ 

WATCH 

ENDP 



CODE SEG ENDS 



END 

FIRST ;END "FIRST" so 8088 will go to FIRST first. iFifmiimk) 



266 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 





Boriand’s SideKick 
Software Product of theYeaf 


SideKick is InfoWorld Software Product of the Year. It won over 
Symphony. Over Framework. Over ALL the programs advertised in 
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imitations. SideKick Simply the best. 




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PROGRAMMING 


On Understanding Errors 

To understand the errors that might 
show up, let's take a short tour through the 
PC’s disk drive system, pausing at the high 
points. The drives constitute an entire sub- 
system, which is controlled by an NEC 
p,PD765 FDC. Decoded, this means, Nip- 
pon Electric Corporation microprocessor 
Roppy Disk Controller, a chip usually re- 
ferred to in IBM literature simply as "the 
Nec,” The Nec has as many pins (40) as 
does an 8088 microprocessor, the heart of 
the PC, and it is nearly as complex. It is 
one of the few parts of the PC allowed 
read/write Direct Memory Access 
(DMA). Two other chips with Direct 
Memory Access are the 8088 itself (so 
something can get done) and the display 
screen controller (so we know about it). 

What this means is that while your PC 
is doing something else, the Nec, indepen- 
dently, can read data from a diskette and 
slip it into memory for the PC to use when 


it’s ready. It is the Nec that sends back the 
error codes that DSKWATCH ultimately 
decodes and announces. 

The PC sets things up for the Nec by 
sending it a table of values for smooth op- 
eration. This table includes such items as 
the amount of time to give the disk head to 
settle after it has shot into place over the 
diskette surface or, once settled, to engage 
the disk. Since IBM’s drives often seem 
slow to the point of insouciance, some na- 
ive people (including myselO have thought 
that the times in the table could be short- 
ened, making the drives move at a brisker 
clip. Regrettably, all you’ll get for that ef- 
fort are disk errors, since the times are al- 
ready set as fast as is prudent. My attempts 
led me to the conclusion that the only time 
in the table that can be changed with impu- 
nity is the shut-off time of the drive mo- 
tors, so they won’t keep spinning for a half 
second or more after everything is done. A 
minor triumph, indeed. 


The table sent to the Nec is as important 
to the PC’s operation as it is hidden from 
view. While most people will never see the 
disk table — and not consider themselves 
deprived — it is right here that the major 
change from DOS 1 . 1 to 2.0 was ma^: 
the switch from eight sectors on each disk 
track to nine. 

Each side of a diskette is divided into 40 
concentric tracks, with track 0 on the out- 
side. The active width of each track is 
about .03 millimeters, or about 3 percent 
of the thickness of a dime. Actually, flop- 
py diskettes can carry much more than 
they do now; their track density can easily 
be doubled, to 80, without strain. [Media 
requirements in manufacturing increase 
proportionately, however. — Ed.} Each 
track is subdivided into either 8 or 9 sec- 
tors; DOS I . I uses 8 sectors per track and 
DOS 2.x and 3.0 use 9, which is why you 
can’t read diskettes formatted under the 
latter operating systems while running un- 


Only one , 
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pany’s UNIX*-based and 
supermini computers. Or 
vice versa. 

In addition to being com- 
patible with all kinds of com 
puters, WordMARC also 
gets along with all kinds 
of users. 

Its documentation is 
written specifically for the 
computer system it will 













der the former. 

If you want to indulge in copy protec- 
tion, you can remodel the disk table. Copy 
protection is most commonly done by 
changing the number of bytes in a sector. 
Each sector on the disk is like a little mag- 
netic island, with its own ID field and data 
field and even address marks that form part 
of a disk map the Nec uses to know where 
the head is. (Missing address marks are 
one possible error DSKWATCH checks 
for, as we'll see.) When DOS reads from 
the disk and doesn't find the number of 
bytes in a sector that it expects, it reports an 
error unless your program has changed the 
disk table. Many copy-protected programs 
work just this way — as, of course, do pro- 
grams that copy copy-protected disks. 

Additional Checks 

After the Nec is instructed to read in a 
sector, the disk head has settled over the 
track and is engaged, the address marks 


and ID fields are found to be correct, and 
the data is read into memory, how do we 
know that what has been read is correct? 
There are two common ways to check 
what came in with what should have: the 
checksum and the Cyclic Redundancy 
Check (CRC) methods. These are impor- 
tant because the most common error 
caused by dirty disk drive heads happens 
right here, when data is misread. 

A checksum is as simple as it sounds. 
As each byte is written, its value is added 
to a running sum, the checksum byte. A 
single byte can hold any number from 0 to 
255 , or llllllll , in binary . When the result of 
the addition exceeds 255, the part greater 
than 255 can be (and is) ignored, since the 
remaining bits continue to change. The re- 
sultant byte is written, with the data, so it 
can be confirmed when everything is read 
back in. When the data is read, the same 
mnning sum is taken and the new check- 
sum is matched against the old one. If they 


match, well and good; if not, an error is 
presumed. 

The Cyclic Redundancy Check is simi- 
lar, except that it uses a polynomial 
(x'^-l-jr'^-l-x’-l- 1 is commonly used in the 
PC), and as bytes are written, they are 
passed through the polynomial, and the to- 
tal sum is stored along with the data. Dur- 
ing a read, the same sum is taken, and the 
two answers are compared. The PC's disk 
operations ate checked with Cyclic Redun- 
dwcy Checks for all the data that is writ- 
ten, since this test catches patterned errors 
that could repeat using a simple checksum. 
If the CRC generated while writing doesn't 
match the one generated while reading, 
DOS tries to read in the data again, giving 
the Nec up to five tries to supply it with the 
same answer. If the head is dirty enough to 
cause intermittent errors, you might never 
hear about it from DOS, but you will from 
DSKWATCH. 

DSKWATCH prints its terse (they are 



operate on. Its self-teaching 
guide helps novice users get 
quickly up to speed. And it’s 
supported by a special “800” 
number hotline. 

WordMARC’s many ver- 
satile features include 
technical and scientific 
symbols, foreign language 
characters, a what-you-see- 
is-what-you-get screen, and 
menu-driven operation with 
convenient function keys. 

It’s available for many 
different operating systems. 


including MS-DOS™ and 
UNIX, and supermini propri- 
etary systems. 

And WordMARC can also 
be integrated with other pop- 
ular applications software. 

So put your word processing 
software resources back under 
control with WordMARC. The 
Uncommon Denominator. 

For more information, see 
your company’s IBM account 
representative. Or 
write MARC 
Software at 260 Sher- 
idan Ave., Ste. 200, 
Palo Alto, CA 94306. 


lURC SOnWIRE INTERIUmOlUL, INC. 

1-800-831-2400. In California 1-800-437-9900. 

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CIRCLE 155 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




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What canyon do with Pro'Iype? 

Type . . . 

I’rint text on a linc-by-Iinc basis — just 
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CIRCLE 179 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


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CIRCLE 144 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


272 



PROGRAMMING 


limited to 12 characters) messages in the 
upper right-hand corner of the screen. 
There are nine possible disk errors that 
DSKWATCH will report, as follows: 

No Response. This means that no sig- 
nals were received from the disk drive. 
The most common reason for this message 
is that there was no disk in the drive. Try it 
and see for yourself — this is a good test of 
your copy of DSKWATCH, though this is 
obviously a critical error that DOS itself 
will report. 

Failed Seek. This means that something 
interfered with the operation of locating 


data on the disk, or that finding the correct 
track failed. 

NEC Error. If this message appears, 
the PC has received inconsistent data from 
the Nec, which is cause indeed for worry. 
Statistically, in fact, the Nec is very reli- 
able. If you see this error in a machine, 
though, it means that that particular Nec 
isn’t so reliable any more. 

BadCRC Seen. In other words, the file 
didn’t make the trip without a blemish. On 
a formatted disk this can mean dirty disk 
drive heads. If you see this error while for- 
matting a disk, it means that the test pattern 


read out to disk came back with errors, and 
the PC is about to mark that sector as bad. 

DMA Overrun. This is an unusual er- 
ror. It means that the PC was so busy it de- 
nied the Nec access to the data bus and thus 
to the memory. (Everything that goes into 
memory has to get there on the data bus, 
and the 8088 either grants or denies access 
to it.) Doubtless, by the time DOS tries 
again, there will probably be access avail- 
able. 

Impos Sector. In this case the Nec was 
directed to read or write a sector that sim- 
ply doesn’t exist, and there is nothing it 


10 

DIM E$(10) 

:E$(1)=" 

Disk Error: 

H 






20 

REM Make sure each 

of the following messages has 

12 characters total. 

30 

ES(2) = 

"No 

Response 

":E$(3)«="Failed 

Seek 

":ES(4) = 

"NEC 

Error 

" 

40 

E$(5) = 

"Bad 

CRC Seen":E$(6)="DMA Overrun 

":E5(7) = 

"Impos Sector" 

50 

ES(8) = 

"No 

Addr Mark" :E$ (9) ="W 

. Protected 

":E$(10) 

="Err Unknown " 

60 

OPEN " 

DSKWATCH. COM 

" AS 1 

1 LEN = 

1 

'Open Dskwatch.com 


70 

PRINT 

"CREATING DSKWATCH 

.COM" 







80 

FIELD 

#1,1 

AS BYTE 

.$ 




'Specify 

what 

goes 

into it 

90 

FOR N 

= 1 

TO 193 





'193 bytes 



100 

READ BYTE. 

% 









110 

IF ByTE.% 

<> -1 GOTO 150 








120 

FOR I 

= 1 

TO 10:FOR J = 

1 TO 

12 






130 

LSET BYTE, 

$ = MID$(ES(I) 

,J,1) 

:PUT 

#1 





140 

NEXT J 

jNEXT I: goto 

170 








150 

LSET BYTE. 

$ = CHR$(BYTE. 

%) 



'Load byte into buffer 

160 

PUT #1 







'Write buffer 

out 


17 0 

NEXT N 










180 

CLOSE 

fl 






'Close file 



190 

PRINT 

"DSKWATCH.COM CREATED." 



'And you 

' re done . 


200 

END 











210 

DATA 

233, 

251, 

0, 

-1, 

0, 

0, 

e. 

0, 

0, 

0 

220 

DATA 

0, 

0, 

0, 

0, 

0, 

0, 

0, 

0, 

156, 

46 

230 

DATA 

255, 

30, 

129, 

1, 

156, 

46, 

143, 

6, 

125, 

1 

240 

DATA 

114, 

3, 

235, 

63, 

144, 

80, 

81, 

82, 

87, 

86 

250 

DATA 

6, 

46, 

141, 

54, 

3, 

1, 

186, 

0, 

176, 

142 

260 

DATA 

194, 

46, 

139, 

62, 

127, 

1, 

46, 

3, 

62, 

123 

270 

DATA 

1, 

232, 

57, 

0, 

182, 

128, 

185, 

7, 

0. 

58 

280 

DATA 

230, 

116, 

15, 

131, 

198, 

12, 

208, 

238, 

226, 

245 

290 

DATA 

128, 

252, 

3, 

116, 

3, 

131, 

198, 

12, 

232, 

30 

300 

DATA 

0, 

7, 

94, 

95, 

90, 

89, 

88, 

46, 

143, 

6 

310 

DATA 

133, 

1, 

46, 

143, 

6, 

135, 

1, 

131, 

196, 

2 

320 

DATA 

46, 

255, 

54, 

125, 

1, 

157, 

46, 

255, 

46, 

133 

330 

DATA 

1, 

185, 

12, 

0, 

46, 

164, 

176, 

7, 

38, 

136 

340 

DATA 

5, 

71, 

226, 

246, 

195, 

184, 

0, 

0, 

142, 

216 

350 

DATA 

161, 

76, 

0, 

46, 

163, 

129, 

1, 

161, 

78, 

0 

360 

DATA 

46, 

163, 

131, 

1, 

199, 

6, 

76, 

0, 

137, 

1 

370 

DATA 

140, 

14, 

78, 

0, 

180, 

15, 

205, 

16, 

128, 

236 

380 

DATA 

25, 

208, 

228, 

46, 

136, 

38, 

123, 

1, 

168, 

4 

390 

DATA 

117, 

7, 

46, 

199, 

6, 

127, 

1, 

0. 

128, 

186 

400 

DATA 

254, 

1, 

205, 

39 









PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


273 


Cc. 






fpesand 
about dust 
storm&lint 
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the bends 


The Flip ’n’ FileVlS are more reliable, 

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It’s also free, when you 
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worry about now is 
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( )ffer available from paiticipaline distrihulors. 
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CIRCLE 505 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




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CIRCLE 152 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



BIG PLUS! 

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PROGRAMMING 


can do but return an error. This is a soft- 
ware problem and therefore more readily 
amended. 

No Addr Mark. Here, the Nec has lost 
its place, since an address mark, its sign- 
post on the disk, was missing. More often 
than not, the error is on the disk. If you try 
to read firam an unformatted blank disk, for 
example, this is the error you will get. [The 
No Addr Mark error can also arise when a 
disk formatted on one PC is used on anoth- 
er whose tracks do not entirely coincide . — 
Ed.j 

W. Protected. This message, perhaps 
with more brevity than may be prudent, in- 
dicates that an attempt was made to write 
to a write-protected disk. EXDS will inform 
you about what’s happening in any case, 
so DSKWATCH’s report is going to be re- 
dundant. 

Err Unknown. More cause for worry. 
This message means that something went 
wrong, but not even the Nec knows what. 
While waiting for this error to clear up, 
you might start looking for your service 
contract. 

In Sum 

Since DSKWATCH reports intermit- 
tent errors before DOS thinks they are seri- 
ous, don’t over-react at the very first indi- 
cation of possible trouble. What this 
program does is give you advance notice 
that a head is getting dirty or a track may be 
drifting out of alignment in time to forestall 
hardware failures, some of which might 
turn into expensive misadventures. This is 
not to suggest that you should expect disk 
problems. The PC’s disk drives are, after 
all, very reliable mechanisms whose glass 
or ceramic head faces are designed for 
many thousands of hours of floppy polish- 
ing. Loose oxide particles are inevitable, 
however, and could redeposit themselves 
elsewhere on the floppy surface (causing 
data errors) or on the head faces, where 
they can “score” the disks as they turn. 
Fortunately, diskettes themselves are to 
some extent self-cleaning: the liner of each 
diskette is designed to polish and clean it 
with every revolution. 

So, the best news you’ll ever hear from 
DSKWATCH is none at all. Still, when 
you hear odd noises from your disk drives 
late at night, it just can’t hurt to find out 
what’s going on. ® 


276 


CIRCLE 208 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 , 1985 



DATAEASE 

The Corporate Database Standard. 


DATAEASE 

#1 with Corporate users. 

Thousands of businesses, both 
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to solve their needs. Because 
DATAEA5E, with Its ideal combi- 
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to decision making — all without 
programming skills. 

“H/e chose DATAEASE over 
dBASEir and Lotus 1-2-3™ 
because most of the program- 
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Joe Dane, Human Hesources Director 
MCI Telecommunications Corporation 

'Office staff members with 
little to no computer experi- 
ence are using DATAEASE In 
handling large amounts of Infor- 
mation." 

Louis n. Brigando, Senior VP, 
MetFath, Inc. 

"We switched from a $250,000 
mini system to IBM PC's and 
DATAEASE, flow orders, Inven- 
tory, sales . . , everything Is 
easier." 

J.A. Fulmer 
Aob/nson 
Foundry, Inc. 


DATAEASE 

#1 with Reviewers 

Last year Business Computer 
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This year is more of the same. 
Data Decisions says "DATAEASE 
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800 - 243-5123 



DATAEASE 

#1 in Corporate sales. 

According to several recent best 
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gramming: 

DATAEASE tops dBASEII and 
B;BASE'“ In Corporate Software 
sales. 

Infysystems, ^arcA 1965 
Corporate Best Seller List 

DATAEASE outsold all other 
database management systems 
— ahead of dBASEIII ".Sym- 
phony" , Framework™ and 
BiBASEdOOO. 

MIS, Inc., September 1984 
A leading supplier to Corporate 
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DATAEASE ranked #3 on best 
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1-2-3" , B:BASE and Powerbase. 

Software flews, March 1985 issue 
Corporate Best Sellers List 

Why settie for iess? Contact 
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CIRCLE 193 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



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CIRCLE 243 ON READER SERVICE CARD 







EDITED BY PAUL SOMERSON 


User-to-User 

PC readers use this forum to help one 
another by passing along their questions, 
solutions, comments, and complaints. 


Reverse Image 

While using the graphics utility included 
with DOS 2. 1 , 1 discoveted that the print- 
out did not accurately match the imag? on 
my screen. The discrepaiKy was obvious: 
the printed copy transposed the foreground 



and background colors. This transposition 
is fine for text but can make it difficult to 
see details in a graphics printout. To solve 
this problem 1 wrote a small BASIC sub- 
routine (see Figure 1 ). 

It takes 2 minutes and 35 seconds to re- 
verse the colors in interpreted BASIC. 
When compiled, it takes between 3 and 18 
seconds — depending on the program in 
which it is being used. It works equally 
well in 40 and 80 column color graphics 
modes. 

The subroutine reads each byte in the 
screen buffer, subtracts its value from 255, 
and then rewrites the new value to the buff- 
er in place of the old. It uses 255 to convert 
the image because of the way the screen in- 
formation is stored in memory. Each byte 


stores the display information for four pix- 
els in binary format. There are four possi- 
ble values for each pixel (00, 01 , 10, or 1 1 ) 
that determine which of the four possible 
colors appears on the screen. Each byte, 
therefore, can have a decimal value be- 
tween 0 and 255 (00000000b and 
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 lb). To reverse the screen color, 
the value for each pel needs to be convert- 
ed to its reciprocal — 00 needs to be 
changed to 11,01 to 10, 10to01,and II to 
00. So to reverse the color of each pel, you 
need to subtract the original numlwr from 
255. 

Jack Grasham 

Portland, Oregon 

What you're really doing here is XORing 
each byte. We used the heart of your trick 
to create the REVDEMO.BAS demo pro- 
gram in Figure 2. REVDEMO draws 100 
mostly filled circles. Then you can hit F I to 
change the background color and F2 to 
change the palette. Hitting F9 sends the 
program to a revised version of Mr. Gra- 
sham' s subroutine: this one is faster, and 
we' ve changed most of the hex numbers to 
their decimal equivalents. Hitting FIO 
quits. Since the program works by XOR- 
ing, hitting F9 twice in succession brings 
the image back to its original colors. This 
program runs like lightning when com- 
piled. 


Custom Cursor 

When I write a program, I like to include 
small, simple tricks to keep the user's at- 
tention. The CURSOR. BAS program in 
Figure 3 overlaps the normal cursor with a 
customized one. 


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*Plus SS.OO shipping and handling. 


CIRCLE 112 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


279 





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USER-TO-USER 


The program finds the proper cursor lo- 
cation by using POS( ) and CSRLIN; it 
then overlays the new cursor on the old. 

Russell Brooks 
Sparta, New Jersey 


This trick is indeed an attention getter. We 
added the animated XOR bouncingfeature 
at the end: why not, as long as you are 
PUTting and GETting the new cursor im- 
age anyway? 


5 ON KEY (9) GOSUB 50990 :KEY (9) ON 
49999 GOTO 49999 

59999 ' *** Screen reverse subroutine *** 

59010 DEE SEG‘&BB899 

59929 FOR I<&H9 TO &H1F3F 

50030 X=PEEK{I) :Y-255-X:POKE I,Y 

59949 J-I+&H2000:X-PEEK(J) !Y-255-X:P0KE J,Y 

59959 NEXT I 

50969 RETURN 


Figure 1 : Subroutine to reverse the colors of a graphics screen (SCREEN / or SCREEN 2 ). 


199 ' REVDEMO.BAS using Jack Grasham's routine 

110 DEFINT A-Z:SCREEN l,9;COLOR 9,2:KEY OFFiCLS 

120 ON KEY(l) GOSUB 210:KEY(1) ON ' FI = background 

139 ON REY(2) GOSUB 229;KEY(2) ON 'F2 = palette 

140 ON KEY(9) GOSUB 240:KEY(9) ON 'F9 - reverse 

150 ON KEY(10) GOSUB 239:KEY(19) ON 'F10 = quit 

160 FOR C»1 TO 190 

179 P-RND*319:O*RND*199:R=RND*20:S=(C HOD 3)+l 

189 CIRCLE (P,Q) ,R,S:FAINT (P,Q),S,S 

190 NEXT 
299 GOTO 299 

210 K=(K+1) MOD 16!C0L0R K,J:RET0RN 
229 J>=(J+1) HOD 2:COLOR K,J:RETURN 
239 END 

249 DEF SEG°&BB899 

250 FOR 1=0 TO 7999 

269 POKE I,PEEK(I) XOR 255:POKE 1+8192 , PEEK (1+8192) XOR 255 
279 NEXTrRETURN 


Rgure 2: Demo program to reverse screen colors. 


199 ' CURSOR. BAS — Russ Brooks 

119 DIM CURSOR (29) : SCREEN 1,0:KEY OFFrCLS 

129 DRAW *BH 1,4U4R2F1G1L2BH 7 ,6G1L1B1U2E1R1F1’ 

130 GET (0,0)-(7,7) .CURSORrPRINT "Now types 

149 POT ((POS(9)-l)*8,(CSRLIN-l)*8), CURSOR 

150 AS=INKEY$tIF A$="" THEN 150 

169 IF A$<>CHR$(13) THEN PRINT A$| tF$=F$+A$:GOTO 140 
179 PRINT SPRINT SPRINT "You typeds *;PSsC=CSRLIN*8 

189 FOR A=1 TO 312 

190 POT (A, C) .CURSOR, XORsPUT (A, C) .CURSOR, XORsNEXT 

200 C-CSRLIN*8sPOR A-312 TO 1 STEP -1 

219 PUT (A, C) .CURSOR, XORsPUT (A, C) .CURSOR, XORsNEXT 

220 IF INKEY$="" THEN 189 


Figure 3: CURSOR . BAS program to customize the normal cursor in graphics mode (for color 
monitors only). 

100 SCREEN 2:OUT 985,2:CLS 

110 LOCATE 5,30!PRINT "This is small type* 

120 DBF SEG=0:POKE 1097,4:POKE 1098,40:DEF SEG 
130 LOCATE 7,12sPRlNT "This is large type’ 

140 DEF SEG=0:POKE 1097,6:FOKE 1098,80:DBF SEG 
150 LOCATE 9,30 SPRINT "And back to small type* 


Figure 4; Program to put two sizes of text on the same graphics screen. 


280 


CIRCLE 509 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11, 1985 



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• \ 


USER-TO-USER 


Text Mixing 

BASIC's graphics screens limit you to us- 
ing wide text characters in 40-column 
mode and narrow ones in 80-column 
mode. However, there is a simple way to 
confuse BASIC and use both sizes in 80- 
column graphics mode. 

To get wide characters in SCREEN 2, 
type: 

SCREEN 2 
DEFSEG=0 
POKE 97.4 
POKE 10 98, 40 
DEF SEG 

Any PRINT statements used after this 
will display wide characters. However, 
there arc some cautions with this trick. 
First, text written past the 40th column will 
wrap to the previous line, so don't print 
pa.st the right margin. Second, when re- 
turning control to BASIC with a STOP or 
END command, make sure you use the 


echo off 

echo THIS IS LEVELl.BAT 
basica beep 
coiiunand /c level2 
echo Returned to LEVEL1.BAT 

echo off 

echo THIS IS LEVEL3.BAT 
basica beep 
command /c level4 
echo Returned to LEVEL3.BAT 

echo off 

echo THIS IS LEVEL2.BAT 
basica beep 
command /c levels 
echo Returned to LEVEL2.BAT 

echo off 

echo THIS IS LEVEL4.BAT 
basica beep 

10 BEEP 'BEEP. BAS PROGRAM 
20 FOR DELAY=1 to 100:NEXT 
30 SYSTEM 

Rgure 5: Four simple files lo demonstrate Ixtfch Jile nesting using COMMAND/C to ptiss control. 
To use this properly, he .sure to create the BEEP. BAS program above and have it and 
BASICA.COM on your di.sk. 

tree /f 1 find "Path" 1 more 

chkdsk /v 1 find "Directory 

" 1 sort 1 more 


Figure 6: Two ways to list suhttirectories. Make sure proper eomhinatiotis ofTREE.COM, 
FIND.EXE. CHKDSK.COM. MORE.COM. and SORT.EXE are on your dhk or PATHed to. 


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282 


CIRCLE 182 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 



USER-TO-USER 


correct settings for 80-column text before 
editing. To restore the settings, type: 

DEFSEG=^ 

POKE 1^37,6 
POKE 10 98.80 
DEF SEG 

Finally, don't mix 40-width text with 
LINE INPUT or INPUT statements. The 
editing keys such as the backspace will 
have a problem understanding where the 
proper cursor position is. which can lead to 
unpredictable results. 

The program in Figure 4 uses the above 
trick to put both widths on the same screen. 

When using SCREEN 1 . the opposite 
sequence will prtxluce small type, but the 
results are multicolored and not well suited 
for ea.sy reading. 

Edward Haar 
Houston. Texas 

This terrific lip can really help in making 
graphics displays distinctive. A good use 
would be in labeling bar or pie chans. 


Nested Batch Files 

Contrary to popular belief, you can nest 
batch files simply by putting COM- 
MAND/C before the name of the batch file 
to be called. When each file completes ex- 
ecution. control returns to the calling batch 
file. This feature is sort of documented in 
the DOS manual under "Invoking a Sec- 
ondary Command Processor" but the 
manual doesn't really tell how to use it this 
way. 

Most people think performance de- 
grades when in the secondary command 
processor, but my tests indicate that it 
doesn't. To see how this works, create the 
four batch files LEVEL1.BAT, LEVEL- 
2. BAT. LEVEL.!. BAT. and LEVEL- 
4. BAT in Figure 5. To run it, type LEV- 
EL!. Once all the batch files have finished 
tunning you'll see a list of echoed "Return 
to . . messages onscreen that shows 
how the files were nested. 

In an unrelated subject. I was amazed at 
the lengths some readers went to to accom- 
plish something DOS does already — print- 
ing a list of subdirectories. Just type: 

DIR I FIND “<DIR>" 

Bob Levittan 
Halesite.New York 


Mr. Levittan' s original batch files each 
called a program he wrote called LOOP: 
we substituted a .small BASIC A program 
called BEEP. BAS in the accompanying 
examples instead of the LOOP program. 


and it works just fine. Rather than the BA- 
SICA BEEP program and batch file line, 
you could .substitute a .COM or .EXE pro- 
gram that did .something distinctive and 
then returned to DOS. 




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283 



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8Z284 


USER-TO-USER 


However, Mr. Levittan's trick of find- 
ing subdirectories will not work across 
subdirectories and won't go more than a 
level deep. The two ways DOS provides to 
list all your subdirectories are shown in 
Figure 6. 


Better Delays 

The custom programming I’ve been doing 
for the IBM PC works very nicely on the 
PC AT except for FOR . . . NEXT timing 


Mr. Levittan’s trick of 
finding subdirectories 
will not work across 
subdirectories and won't 
go more than a level deep. 
Here are two ways DOS 
lists all subdirectories. 

loops to produce short delays. The same 
loop on the AT runs too fast for the desired 
effect. To solve the problem, I use the fol- 
lowing routine: 

10X=TIMER+3.5 
20 WHILE TIMER<X 
30 WEND 

(substituting the number of seconds 1 want 
to delay for the 3.5 above). This works on 
all PC systems and is accurate to about a 
tenth of a second. 

Barbara Consiglio 
Coral Springs, Florida 

This solves one <rf the timing problems 
on the supercharged AT; the other is that 
it's more difficult now to synchronize mu- 
sic with routines that print characters on 
the AT s lightning quick screen. 


Share Your Discoveries 
Tell the world about your latest discovery 
through User-to-User, and we’ll pay you 
$50 for your trouble, plus an extra $25 if 
you submit it on a disk. 

If you send a disk, please include a 
printout of your submission to ensure 
against damage in transit. Mail your con- 
tributions to: User-to-User, PC Magazine, 
One Park Avenue, New York, NY 
10016. ■ 


284 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE It, 1985 


MARKZACHMANN 

PC Tutor 


Dialing Dilemma 

Q: Many desk utility programs advertise 
their ability to dial telephone numbers for 
you directly. While 1 access several remote 
databases, the ads imply that one can use 
the programs to make voice calls. If the 



computer is connected to a modem and a 
dedicated telephone line, is there some- 
thing I'm missing, or is it all nonsense to 
talk about calling people (not computers) 
by modem? 

Ellen Moss Poler 

New York. New York 

A: / have evaluated at least one of those 
desk-dialing features. The telephone dial- 
er option in Sidekick will only use a mo- 
dem to dial a telephone. If you have a 
.smart nunlem and your telephone and mo- 
dem .share the same physical telephone 
line, all you have to do is simply pick up 
your phone when the other person an- 
swers. and both of you can talk. The ad- 
vantage of this is that you can store tele- 
phone numbers by name and use your 
dialer option to put you in touch with Peter 
or Mark or John without having to remem- 
ber or punch up their numbers. 

A standard data modem hookup (such 
as my own) uses a dedicated telephone 
line, however, and there is no ur/v you can 
talk over the same line your mcxiem is 
working on. There are a few modem/inte- 


grated computer systems that use multi- 
plexing to permit you to use a single line 
for both voice and data , but these are rare . 

Consequently. I have been unable to 
find much use for the autodial feature that 
desk utilities provide, since my data com- 
munications package autotiials. Autodial- 
ing from Sidekick, though perhaps usefid 
to others, seems to be a feature with no val- 
ue for me. 


What’s the DIF? 

Q: What exactly is the DIF format for stor- 
ing data, and where can I get technical 
specifications for it? I want to transfer files 
to an IBM mainframe, and some of the file 
transfer programs say they can handle DIF 
format files. I want to get the technical 
specs so I can write my PC-created files in 
that format if I have to. 

William Meacham 
Austin. Texas 

A: The DIF format was described some 
years ago in Byte magazine. Basically, the 
DIF fonnat is a way of storing data in a 
fairly portable format. The primary specs 
require that: 

(1 ) Each data record ends with a car- 
riage return. 

(2) Fields within a data record are de- 
limited by commas. 

(J) String fields (which may contain 
commas and spaces) are enclosed within 
double quote marks. 

Thus, for example, if you have a record 
type of 

Person's Name: string 

Zip Code : number 

Street Address : string 

Area Code: number 

Telephone: number 

a sample DIF record might he 

“John James" . 10014. 

" 22 Maplehurst Road " , 

212.9159243<CR> 

Since DIF files are made up only of AS- 



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C// characters (letters, digits, punctua- 
tion, and spaces!, they can he ea,sily ,sent to 
mainframes or to other micrw omputers. 
Any communications package worth its 
salt will be able to send an ASCII file to a 
mainframe and receive an ASCII file from 
a mainframe. The DIF format is rather ef- 
ficient, .since everything is stored in vari- 
able lengths. Although any ASCII format 
you choo.se could be made portable to a 
mainframe, there are obvious advantages 
to adhering to a .standard. 

For more detailed information on DIF 
files you should write to: DIF Clearing- 
house, P.O. Box 63B, Newton Lower 
Falls, MA 02162. 


Communications Complexities 
Q: I have recently taken on a rather com- 
plex data communications task using an 
IBM PC-XT. Briefly, 1 must continuously 
monitor two hard-wired lines coming in 
over 300-baud modems and simultaneous- 
ly be accessible via an additional dial-up 
line. As I see it, this necessitates three 
COM ports, and provision for a further re- 
mote terminal to be installed in the future 
would raise this figure to four. 

I purchased the XT with a Hayes 1 200B 
internal modem (COMl). the XT’s origi- 
nal serial port (currently COM2), and an 
AST Megaplus board with two RS-232 se- 
rial ports — hopefully COMs 3 and 4. The 
technical information supplied with the 
AST unit suggests that 1 should be able to 
switch a connector on the board and at lea.st 
have a functional COM3. Is this correct? Is 
there another available interrupt which I 
could use for COM4 ? 

I am buffering the hard-wired lines 
(which send only 80-characler strings) 
with Practical Peripherals Microbuffers. 
Therefore, do I even need to have interrupt 
connections for COMs 3 and 4? Can more 
than one COM port share the same inter- 
rupt line? Is the Crosstalk program capable 
of addressing the buffers properly? 

If 1 can get the proper hardware in prop- 
er configuration for COMs 3 and 4. how 
do I get software drivers and where do I put 
them? Can I copy the driver for COM 1 or 
COM2 and change an address or two? 
How do I find them in DOS? Can you 
help? 

Harry M. Walker 

Dickinson, Texas 


A: Within the confines of a general column 
such as this, I can only be of help up to a 
point. 

The PC places no inherent limitations 
on the number of serial fwrts you can hook 
up. Control Swsiems Corp., of Minneapo- 
lis. for e.xample, sells an 8-port serial 
IxHird for the PC. The Software Link, of 
Atlanta, offers 4-port Multi-Link hoards, 
and Alloy Computer Products in Framing- 
ham, Massachusetts, has PC -Slave board 
configurations for up to 31 ports. 

By default, however, the IBM PC oper- 
ating system is set up for no more than four 
serial ports (labeled COM! through 
COM4). This means that programs such 
as MODE and COPY will only recognize 
four ports. Writing a device driver to en- 
able more ports is too complex for this col- 
umn. hut it can he done, andl a.ssume the 
people at the companies I mentioned have 
done .so. 

Obviously, from your point of view it 
would be nice if you could use your e.xist- 
ing hardware. As you noted, there are only 
two normal interrupt lines available on the 
PC for serial ports. The note you .sent me 
details a way to cut traces to access tn o 
other interrupt lines. On your XT, howev- 
er, one of those (IRQ5) is u.sed to handle 
the hard di.sk. The other one (IRQ2) should 
he available with your configuration. 
Looking at my .schematic of the IBM serial 
card, it appears as if you could reuse one 
of the inverting buffers (U3 pins 5 and 6. 
which was originally designed for a now- 
obsolete current loop) for remapping 
COM3 (3E8) and COM4 (2E8). Aho. re- 
move the interrupt line connection (IRQ4 
or B24 on the PC bus). Then you can use 
the AST card for ports 2 and3. Naturally, 
if you start cutting and soldering, you'll 
void the warranty on your .serial card. 

To the best of my knowledge, the AST 
board does not simultaneously support 
bi)th COM3 and COM4. The usual reason 
for this is that few users need four serial 
ports and, as above, there is insufficient 
interrupt support in any case. You can 
switch one port to COM3, if you can use 
that. Crosstalk, and most other communi- 
cations programs, will not .support mo- 
dems that are not interrupt driven. Hence, 
those programs will not work with COM 
ports 3 and 4. 

However, your communications task is 


286 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 





PC TUTOR 


nol impossibly demanding. Certainly none 
of the buffered lines needs interrupts. You 
might want to investigate writing a simple 
program that handles the .serial communi- 
cations, and then since you don’t need the 
interrupts, try changing the port address 
of the IBM .serial card. 


Checking for a Bad ROM 
Q: Lightning damage necessitated replaC' 
ing the CPU on my Star Micronics Gemini 
1 5x printer and the printer adapter card on 
my PC-2. At this point, while the Shifl- 
PrtSc function works, I still can't TYPE. 
PRINT, or Clrl-P anything to the printer. 
My guess is that there may have been par- 
tial but not complete damage to the ROM 
BIOS printer functions; is there a way for 
me to check this without having to buy a 
replacement? 

Tim Buddie 
Parsippany. New Jersey 

A: Lightning damage can cause all sorts of 
strange behavior in computers. 

To check whether your ROM code is 
unchanged, you should go to a different 
PC -2 and copy its ROM BIOS code onto a 
floppy. 

The easiest way for you to do this is with 
DEBUG. The ROM BIOS is located at 
FOOO.'EOOO and takes up about 8K 
llOOOhex). You should type the underlined 
portions below and then end each line with 
a return. 

A> DEBUG 

- nRQMCQDE ;B«t file name to ROHCODE 
CX 0000 

: 2000 ;set size to I000hex 

- WF0005E000 ;wcite the ROM/file 

-a 

A> 

This creates a file (ROMCODE) that 
contains the 8K of ROM code. Now, move 
to your own PC and run DEBUG again, 
this time to load and compare. 

A> DEBUG ROMCODE 

- Cl00 2100 F00BiE000 

-a 

A> 

This will print out any differences (or sim- 
ply return to the hyphen prompt if the tsw 
sets of code compare petfectly). 

From the origin of your problem, I 
would also suggest you check your printer 
cable. It is possible that a line got fused in 
the cable, which could also lead to all 
manner of printer anomalies. 


Redirecting Files and 
Renaming Subdirectories 

Q: In "REDirecling Your Files," (PC. 
Volume 4 Number4). there was an elegant 
assembly language program that would 
enable one to redirect a file from one sub- 
directory into another without copying and 
erasing. 1 can do the same thing simply us- 
ing BASIC’s NAME . . . AS . . . com- 
mand in the direct (nonprogramming) 
mtxle. Just enter 

NAME "\dirl\file. ext" 

AS "\dir2\file . ext " 

I thought that perhaps the RENAME com- 
mand In EX)S itself might be able to do the 
same but have found that it will not accept 
a second path. Is there any patch (using 
DEBUG) to RENAME.COM that will en- 
able it to do this, too? 

Bob Arnett 

Willow Creek, California 

A: You raise a very interesting point that 
seems to have eluded some of the PC’s 
mo.st .sophisticated users and program- 
mers. I've tested your procedure both with 
DOS 2.1 and 3.0, and it does exactly as 
you .sugge.st, plus adding the flexibility of 
changing the filename at the some time. 

Imieed, not only can you move files as 
you noted, but if you have DOS 3.0 you 
can even use the same proc edure to re- 
name directories, something I know of no 
uwy to do within DOS at all. For example, 
if you have a first-level subdirectory 
named XTEST, you can change its name to 
\GRAPH by entering 

NAME "\TEST" AS "\GRAPH" 

This is quite a neat trick, indeed. 

As for iLsing the RENAME command in 
a .similar manner, however, that simply 
cannot be done. Since RENAME is an in- 
trinsic command (in other words, not a 
separate program, but part of DOS) you 
would need to alter COMMAND.COM to 
fix the problem, and / strongly advise 
against trying that. 


The PC Tutor solves practical problems 
and explains points of general interest. If 
you’d like to see your questions answered 
here, drop a line to PC Tutor, PC Maga- 
zine, One Park Avenue, New York, NY 
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287 


BuyA Local Area Network 
For Less Than $100 Per PC 


STOP buying expensive duplicate PC peripherals. 
Usually your peripherals just sit idle. If your office owns 
two or more PCs can you justify a costly printer and 
multiple disk drives for each PC? How often are your 
printers actually bu^ Thirty minutes a day? An hour a 
day? Even your expensive hard disk is used infrequently. 

The obvious solution to avoid expensive 
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now LANs have cost in excess of $ 1 ,000 per PC. 

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I Shared Printere 


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Printer sharing operates transparently with 
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EASY SPECIFICATIONS 
Each PC in the network requires an individual copy 
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EasyLAN can be installed in less time than it takes to 
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EDUCATION ' MARK MALAMUD 


Studying SAT Programs 

Computers can help students study for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, 
but all SAT preparation software is not the same. Picking the right 
program can be almost as tough as taking the test itself. 


T aking the SAT has become an 
American rite of passage for 
thousands of high school students 
around the country preparing for col- 
lege. The test has become the foremost 
national standard for comparing col- 
lege-bound students. 

The logic of studying for an aptitude 
test is open to question, but SAT prepara- 
tion can produce a familiarity with the 
examination that can reduce anxiety and 
improve the average student’s perfor- 
mance. A recent study by Dr. George 
Hopmeier at Florida/State University 
suggests that computer preparation for 
the SAT can raise a student’s score by as 
much as 94 points. 

Over the years, two methods for SAT 
preparation have remained popular: text- 
books that offer sample tests, study prob- 
lems, and vocabulary lists; and SAT 
study courses, such as Stanley Kaplan’s, 
that offer a more intense and interactive 
test-training environment. Now, a third 
method is competing for attention: com- 
puter preparation. 

Essentially, computer preparation for 
the SAT rapidly scores and analyzes 
drills and multiple-choice tests, remov- 
ing the more tedious aspects of studying. 
Computers are very good at repeatedly 
assigning a task and providing constant 
feedback. 

With the popularity of home computers 
among teenagers, it is not surprising that 
thousands of families are buying SAT soft- 
ware. But as the number of preparation 
packages grows, parents and students alike 
should be careful to buy the software best 
suited to their individual needs. 



A Multiple-Choice Market 

Four programs on the market — 
Barron’s COMPUTER STUDY PRO- 
GRAM FOR THE SAT, Computer Prep- 
aration for the SAT from Harcourt Brace 
Jovanovich (HBJ), Krell Software’s , 
COLLEGE BOARD SAT EXAM PREPA- 
RATION SERIES, and the SAT Skills Set 
from Sliwa Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) — ! 
illustrate the range of issues in choosing | 
SAT software. | 

Many students find themselves befud- \ 
died by the broad scope of the SAT and 
discover they need assistance in organiz- 
ing their work. Thus, a valuable part of 
any test preparation is the formulation of 
a cogent plan of study. 

The packages from Barron’s and HBJ 
perform extensive evaluations of a prac- : 
tice test to determine a reasonable course 
of study. Barron’s program includes a I 
step-by-step outline of how a fledgling 


SAT student should proceed with the 
course. 

The preparation package from SEI, 
however, offers no diagnostics. Students 
who have trouble recognizing where to 
concentrate their studies may have to 
turn elsewhere for aid. 

Krell’s software package also fails to 
offer a diagnostic test or direct study 
plan, but it does present an interesting 
feature called Self Customizing Logic 
(SCL) that automatically analyzes the 
student’s progress to eliminate the easily 
answered types of questions and produce 
additional questions in troublesome ar- 
eas. While this is a valuable feature, it 
may still leave students without a sense 
of direction, and it cannot replace a 
straightforward study plan. 

Parallelism 

Since SAT preparation should pro- 
duce a familiarity with the exam, it is im- 
portant to determine how closely the 
software package parallels the SAT it- 
self. 

Both the Barron’s and HBJ packages 
offer timed tests that closely mimic the 
questions and multiple choice answers of 
the SAT. They give scores both as per- 
centages correct and SAT equivalents, 
and they can highlight the number of cor- 
rect answers in specific study areas. 

Both of these programs are text depen- 
dent, relying heavily on textbooks sup- 
plied with the disks. They include many 
practice tests and paper-and-pencil exer- 
cises that are particularly valuable train- 
ing for the SAT. After all. there are no 
keyboards, monitors, and whirring disk 


I 

X 

J 

n 

I 

I 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


289 


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Enhanced block operations 
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drives on the day of the big examination. 

On the other hand, the packages from 
SEI and Krell focus almost exclusively 
on exercises that don't strive for test sim- 
ulation. The SEI program, for example, 
seems to randomly generate two out of 
three wrong answers for each question 
from a bank of wrong answers. While 
this can save memory, it may leave stu- 
dents unprepared for the SAT's carefully 
chosen wrong answers, which present 
shades of meaning and can easily mis- 
lead the student. The Krell package's an- 
swers also seem random, but Krell does 
offer an optional timer to help students 
pace themselves. 

The Krell and SEI packages are text 
independent. This means students need 
not refer to a textbook for questions and 
answers, but it also means that the mate- 
rial is limited to the space of a disk. Nei- 
ther program offers the actual paper-and- 
pencil work provided by the Barron’s 
and HBJ packages. 


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User Interfaces 

You should also consider these three 
additional convenience factors: user-in- 
terface program speed, clarity of 
screens, and user comfort. 

The slowest program is Barron’s, 
which often loads only a small set of 
questions at a time, requiring frequent 
visits to the disk and making you stare at 
cute messages such as “f/n moment, s'il 
vous plait” or “I’ll be right back.’’ 

The SEI and HBJ programs have the 
most readable screens. They are well de- 
signed and avoid too much information 
on the screen at one time. The Barron’s 
offering, however, sometimes clutters 
too much on each screen, and Krell’s 
package seems uninterested in keeping a 
clear, easy-to-read work screen. Using 
the programs from Barron’s and HBJ can 
be cumbersome because you must con- 
stantly move between the instructional 
text and the computer. 

In terms of the organization of study 
materials and documentation, the 
Barron’s system is superior. With a large 
user’s guide, disk menus printed directly 
on the disks, and emphasized outlines of 
the program’s course, the Barron’s pack- 
age successfully avoids the potential 
confusion of so comprehensive a pro- 


290 


CIRCLE 207 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 




gram. The organization of all the other 
programs is adequate; however, the doc- 
umentation for Krell’s package seems a 
little skimpy in comparison. 

Extras 

Any SAT package will cover verbal 
and mathematical skills, but how many 
take into account the Test of Standard 
Written English (TSWE) that accompa- 
nies the SAT? Of the four programs re- 
viewed, only SETs package does not 
provide direct preparation for the TSWE. 



BARRON'S COMPUTER STUDY 
PROGRAM FOR THE SAT 
Barron’s Educational Series 
1 13 Crossways Park Dr. 

Woodbury. NY 1 1797 
(516)921-8750 

List Price: $89.95 for 3 disks and 3 text- 
books 

Requires: I28K RAM. 

CIRCLE 626 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

Computer Preparation for the SA T 
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 
1250 Sixth Ave. 

San Diego, CA 92101 
(619) 231-6616, ext. 432 
List Price: $79.95 for 2 disks and a text- 
book 

Requires: 64K RAM. 

CIRCLE 627 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

COLLEGE BOARD SAT EXAM 
PREPARA TION SERIES 
Krell Software Corporation 
1320 StonyBrook Road 
Stonybrook. NY 1 1790 
(516)751-5139 

List Price: $299.95 (expanded series) for 
9 disks and a grammar manual 
Requires: 128K RAM. 

CIRCLE 628 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

SAT Skills Set 

Sliwa Enterprises, Inc. 

2360-J George Washington Hwy. 

Yorktown, VA 23692 

(804) 898-8368 

List Price: $95 . 00 for 5 disks 

Requires: 64K RAM. 

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PC MAGAZINE# JUNE 11, 1985 


291 


CIRCLE 102 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




EDUCATION 



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292 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE It, 1985 





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Check Out tfotTips 
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A dose friend in a state of euphoria 
called recently to tell me about a 
stiK'k he had stumbled across a 
couple of months ago. "You've got to 
buy Compaq Computer. I bought it at $.t 
a share less than 2 months ago. and it's 
already up to almost $9," he said. "My 
■Stockbroker says he wouldn't be sur- 
prised if the stock went to $20 or $30 a 
share within the next 6 months!" 

Now. experience has taught me that 
one of the worst things to do is buy a 
stock solely on the basis of a lip from a 
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Compaq Computer through the Dow 
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access number and entered my password. 
Since I didn't know Compaq's ticker sym- 
bol and would need it to retrieve informa- 
tion from other DJN/R databases. I went to 
the Symbols Directory first. 

Each, of the system's 33 databases is 
accessed in the same manner. You type 
two slashes (//) followed by the appropri- 
ate mnemonic command for tbc database 
and press Return. The command in this 
case was SYMBOL; following the 
prompts in the Symbols Directory quick- 
ly led meloCMPQ. Compaq's symbol. 

Using the Databases 

The Current Quotes database (//CQ) 
holds information on how a slock is do- 
ing that day. Upon entering the ticker 
symbol. I found that the slock was al- 
ready up 75 cents a share from the previ- 
ous day's closing price of $8.75 and that 


almost a million shares of the stock had 
already traded that day. 

The Historical Quotes database (//HQ) 
lists daily highs, lows, closing prices, 
and volumes dating back for a year on 
common and preferred slocks. For over- 
the-counter stocks, bid/asked prices are 
.shown rather than high. low. and closing 
prices. You can also obtain monthly 
summaries dating back to 1979 and quar- 
terly summaries back to 1978. 

Obtaining daily historical quotes is a 
nuisance becaasc instead of entering the 
beginning and ending dales for the period 
you want, you have to retrieve quotes in 
blocks of 1 2 days at a time. For example, 
to look at the quotes for Compaq over the 
la-st 60days. you type CMPQ. a space, and 
PI. and press Return, which retrieves the 
bid/asked prices and volume activity over 
of the last 12 trading days. You then con- 


':al 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


295 


llIu5inHk>ii. Greg Ragland 




FINANCE 



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linue hitting Return for the next most re- 
cent set of 1 2 until you teach 60. 

The last 60 days of trading activity for 
Compaq Computer revealed three things. 
First, my friend had exaggerated when he 
said he bought the stock at $3 a share less 
than 2 months ago; the lowest the stock 
had been in the last 60 days was $4. 1 2 a 
share. Second, the stock's price had gradu- 
ally increased during the last 2 months 
from a little over $4 a share to about $9. 
The upward movement in price was 
steady, not sporadic. Finally, the average 
daily volume increased as the price 
increased — a good technical sign. 

To find out more, 1 went to the Corpo- 
rate Earnings Estimator database 
(//EARN) for a consensus forecast of 
earnings per share. But instead of typing 
//EARN, I accidentally typed //ERAN. I 
immediately realized I had mistyped the 
mnemonic command, but the system 
doesn't allow you to backspace and cor- 
rect your error. Instead, you get a 5-line 
message that says "Invalid format. To 
reach a database, type two slashes {//) 
and the database code. Example: 
//NEWS (RETURN). For additional 
help, type//DJ HELP." 

After typing //EARN correctly and 
pressing Return. I entered the Compaq 
ticker symbol at the prompt. For the year 
ending December 1985. the consensus 
forecast of six analysts from major bro- 
kerage firms was 8 1 cents per share, with 
a high of $1 and a low of 65 cents. The 
estimated earnings had been revised up- 
ward from an expected 44 cents per share 
26 weeks prior. 

The Media General Financial Services 
database (//MEDGEN) contains a con- 
cise summary of a stock's price and vol- 
ume data, plus fundamental data on reve- 
nues, dividends, and other factors. You 
enter the ticker symbol, a slash, and then 
P for price and volume data or F for fun- 
damental data. 

Price and volume data indicated that 
Compaq had been outperforming the 
Standard & Poor's 500 Index for the last 
13 weeks. The 52-week low was $3.50 
per share; the 52-week high was $9.25; 
and more than 5 percent of the stock had 
changed ownership during the previous 
week of market trading. 

Meantime, fundamental data showed 


that revenues were up more than 1 00 per- 
cent over the prior year, earnings per 
share for the last 12 months were 26 
cents, no dividends were currently being 
paid, and, according to the latest SEC re- 
port, company insiders had sold 78,000 
more shares than they had purchased. 

Before signing off, I checked one 
more source: the Dow Jones News 
database (//DJNEWS). This database is 
at the coreof DJN/R. Through it. you can 
access news stories and special features 
that ran in The Wall Street Journal and 
Barron's as well as up-to-the-minute 
news from the Dow Jones News Service. 


The Media General 
Financial Services database 
contains a summary of a 
stock’s price and volume 
data, plus data on revenues, 
dividends and other factors. 


This information can be as recent as 90 
seconds; it dates back as far as 90 days. 

Since I was interested only in company 
news, I retrieved the headlines for news 
stories specifically about Compaq Com- 
puter. There was nothing earth-shattering 
in the headlines, so I did not retrieve the 
actual text for any of the stories. However, 
had 1 wanted to see the complete text for a 
particular headline. I could have entered 
the two-letter code to the left of that head- 
line and pressed Return. 

After signing off, I printed the com- 
plete on-line session for further study. To 
reduce costs, most communications soft- 
ware packages let you save to disk every- 
thing that appears on the screen while 
you are on-line. This enables you to print 
the information you retrieved after you 
sign off rather than pay extra connect 
time charges. 

After reviewing the information, I de- 
cided that from a fundamental point of 
view, the company looked good. Reve- 
nues were up more than 100 percent from 
the prior year, and earnings foreca.sts for 
the year ending December 1985 had been 
revised upward to 81 cents per share 
from an estimated 44 cents 6 months ear- 
lier. The,sc figures compared favorably 


CIRCLE 138 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


to actual earnings of 26 cents per share 
for the prior year. 

From a technical point of view, 
Compaq’s price and volume activity also 
looked good. Over the’ past 2 months, the 
stock’s price per share had been gradual- 
ly rising with a concurrent increase in 
volume, and it had reached a 52-week 
high that day. Also, in the last 3 days, 
more than 10 percent of the outstanding 
shares of the stock had traded hands, 
making one wonder if a takeover bid for 
the company might not be in the offing. 

Time and Costs 

How much time does this process 
take, and how much does it cost in on- 
line connect charges? First, the time. Us- 
ing a standard IBM PC with a Hayes 
Smartmodem 1200 and PC -TALK III 
communications software. I logged on to 
DJN/R, retrieved and saved the stock’s 
ticker symbol, the current day’s quotes, 
60 days of historical quotes, the consen- 
sus earnings forecast, price/volume data, 
fundamental data, and headlines of news 
stories that had appeared in the last 90 
days. This took me 4 minutes of connect 
time at 1 200 baud. 

It took another 5 minutes to print the 
complete on-line session on my printer. 
Since I have considerable investment ex- 
perience, it took me only about 5 more 
minutes to review the information after it 
was printed. Thus in 15 minutes alto- 
gether. I had obtained and reviewed the 
critical information on a company that I 
had previously known little about. 

Retrieving information for a particular 
company will cost you 20 cents per 
minute during nonprime time (6 p.m. to 
4 a.m. Monday through Friday plus 
weekends and holidays) or $1 .20 per 
minute during prime time (6 a m. to 6 
p.m. Monday through Friday, Eastern 
Standard Time). These charges are based 
on a standard membership to DJN/R. Ei- 
ther way, when you consider what’s at 
stake, it’s a small price to pay. 

The Dow Jones New.s/Retrieval ser- 
vice gives you a practical way to research 
a company’s stock before you invest. If 


Thomas A. Meyers is founder and presi- 
dent of the American Association of Mi- 
crocomputer Investors. 


you use the system properly and are se- 
lective about the databases you access, 
you can retrieve a tremendous amount of 
information quickly and efficiently. And 
if you are a sophisticated investor who 


knows how to interpret this information, 
using Dow Jones News/Retrieval can 
help you to make more informed — and, 
therefore, more lucrative — investment 
decisions. ■ 


\ 

\ 


\ I 


! " Volkswriter Deluxe , , . " 





the critics' choice! 


Thirty word processing 
programs were re- 
viewed ... no other 
program received a higher overall 
evaluation than Volkswriter 
Deluxe." 

Software Digest Ratings Newsletter, 
January 1984 

"If WordStar™ set a standard . . . 


Volkswriter Deluxe sets a new standard 
for transparency, simplicity, and speed. You can learn Volkswriter 
in under an hour . . . because it does so many things exactly the 
way you think they should be done." 

"VOLKSWRITER DELUXE is the best buy in the IBM-PC™ 
writing tool arena." 

Charles Spezzano. Whole Earth Software Review, lanuary 15, 1984 

"Volkswriter Deluxe ... a simple way to word processing 
power ... for writers who like to think." 

Washington DC Capital PC User's Group Vol. 3, #4 

"Lifetree , . . provides exceptionally helpful and competent 
assistance to registered owners, and the company's update 
policies are excellent." 

"In sum, this is a unique word- 
processi ng program . " 

John Lombardi, Reviewer, I 
InfoWorld, April 16, 1984 


99 

We couldn^t 
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better ourselves! 

Suggested Retail Price: Volkswriter 
Deluxe $295 for the 
PC compatibles, Tl Professional 
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IBM PC IS d irddetTUrk of Inlerndliondt Business 
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SOFTWARE INC 


411 Pacific Street 
Monterey, California 
(40fll 171-4718 / TWX 178786 


CIRCLE 385 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II, 1985 


297 



with this! 



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NC residents include 4.5% sales tax. 
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Our Guarantee: Use your template for 
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Systems Management Associates 
3700 Computer Drive, Dept. B-IO 
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609 






BUSINESS BRUCE M. CAST 


Safekeeping 
Y)ur Software 

The company safe may protect your valuable data disks from theft but not 
from excessive heat and humidity. For more peace of mind, you should 
buy a data safe or install a wooden box in the old safe. 


F ire and theft. Unauthorized copy- 
ing. Excessive temperature 
range, humidity, improper han- 
dling, exposure to magnetic fields. 
When it comes to your software and data 
files, danger may lurk anywhere. But 
you can prevent these calamities by tak- 
ing advantage of one of the most familiar 
precautions available: the old-fashioned 
safe. Well, maybe not so old fashioned. 
Safes aren’t what they used to be. 

An entire industry has grown up 
around the care and storage of magnetic 
media. There are albums for tape cas- 
settes, plastic desktop file boxes for 
diskettes, and storage boxes for hard 
disks. Some storage containers come in a 
variety of colors for quick identification 
of the contents. PC owners buy them in 
vast quantities, since they give a desk or 
computer workstation the appearance of 
neatness and organization. 

Unfortunately, such enclosures are 
usually left on or in the desk at night, ex- 
posing them to the possibility of theft or 
unauthorized copying. Of course, for 
more protection you can keep these 
diskette files under lock and key. 

The risk of fire is a bit more difficult 
(and expensive) to deal with. Although 
the average home or office is usually not 
struck by sudden, catastrophic fires, it is 
filled with combustibles, which, if ignit- 
ed, can heat up the room considerably. 
Even a fire in an adjacent room or build- 
ing can raise the temperature beyond the 
safe level for magnetic media. 

Many business users who have given 
some thought to the risk of fire and theft 
use the company safe to store critical data 



disks overnight. Better than leaving them 
on your desk, to be sure, but far from the 
ideal solution. 


Most safes are engineered primarily 
for foiling burglary, with little if any in- 
sulation for fire protection. Safes labeled 
“fire safes” are designed for protecting 
paper documents, not software — a criti- 
cal distinction because paper, believe it 
or not. is hardier than a disk or tape. 

Another commonly used overnight 
data depository is the in-floor safe. Such 
safes are usually cast into the concrete 
slab that forms the foundation of a build- 
ing, where, because of their position be- 
neath the heat of any potential fire and 
owing to the insulating properties of the 
concrete and the earth below, they would 
seem to be immune from damage. But 
the concrete may not be a suitable insula- 
tor, except perhaps for paper documents. 


Worse, the contents of an underfloor or 
underground safe are especially prone to 
damage from humidity. You should rely 
on these safes only in an emergency, and 
then only after using ample silica gel or 
other means of humidity control. 

Standard fire safes are rated to with- 
stand outside temperatures of 1700 de- 
grees Fahrenheit and higher for 1 , 2, and 
4 hours, depending upon their rating. 

The testing standards have been estab- 
lished by Underwriters Laboratories 
(UL) after many years of research, and 
several European countries and Japan 
have adopted similar standards. Check 
your safe’s label to determine its rating 
and for the name of the testing authority. 

The label probably will not tell you what 
the inside temperature was during the 
test — an important factor for storage of 
electronic media. 

To meet UL (or similar) standards for 
an ordinary fire safe, the inside tempera- 
ture must not exceed 350 degrees, well 
below the ignition point of paper but cer- 
tain death for magnetic media. 

Underwriters Laboratories has also set 
standards specifically for data safes. 
These call for temperatures to be main- 
tained below 125 degrees for flexible 
disks and 150 degrees for tapes, micro- 
film. and photographic media. You 
should store valuable software and data 
files only in safes that meet these stan- 
dards. The UL label, which should be 
easy to locate on the surface of the safe, 
indicates the standard to which the safe ^ 
has been tested. Data safes can maintain | 
a lower internal temperature because | 
they are built with more effective insula- I 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


299 



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BUSINESS 


tion. Many have a second inner door. 

Some Asian manufacturers have 
jumped into the data safe market with an 
innovative approach. They have retained 
the normal fire safe design but equipped 
their safes with a (sometimes removable) 
box to house magnetic media. The box is 
relatively inexpensive because it is made 
of wood with a plastic laminated overlay. 
Wood is a good insulator and can with- 
stand the internal temperatures for which 
the outer fire safes are engineered. 

Updating Your Fire Safe 

A clever way to update an existing fire 
safe is to buy an insulated box and install 
it in the safe. Be sure that the box has a 
sound latching mechanism (not just a 
spring closure) to prevent the door/cover 
from popping open within the safe during 
a fire. Farfetched? Fire safes are often 
found intact in basements after the upper 
floors have burned out; the inner box 
may be jolted quite a bit on the way 
down. Diskettes can be damaged by vio- 
lent blows. The retrofit insulated box 
should fit snugly. Ifit doesn’t, attach it to 
the interior in such a way that it will not 
move around if the safe falls over. 

Designer Data Safes 

Some data safes resemble file cabinets 
with sliding instead of swinging doors. 
These are especially nice if the interior 
dimensions of the drawers efficiently 
store the type of magnetic media you use. 
The single-drawer type is particularly 
useful if it slides under a work surface to 
replace or supplement normal desk draw- 
ers, This design puts the safe right at your 
workstation, so that you can store idle 
data disks at all times, even during work- 
ing hours. 

European safes tend to be equipped 
with high-security key locks rather than 
with combination locks. These locks are 
quite sturdy, and you can easily config- 
ure the keys to make key copying nearly 
impossible. A key-locked safe allows 
quicker access, which is important if you 
have to open and shut it repeatedly dur- 
ing the day. 

Japanese manufacturers take no 
chances and equip many of their models 
with both key locks and combinations. 
During the day, you can leave the combi- 

PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II, 1985 


CIRCLE 206 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




Wm Your PC 
Handle a 
volume 


280 MBytes in one volume 

Emerald Systems has broken 
the 32 MByte DOS barrier and 
shattered popular attitudes about 
the performance of micro com- 
puters. Our disk drives will easily 
handle a single logical volume up 
to 280 MBytes in size (unformat- 
ted) on the IBM-PC, XT AT* and 
compatibles. Speed? Emerald 
drives aren't just fast, they're 
FAST— no more trips to the 
coffee pot while files load. 
Emerald delivers the “extras" 

The extras means support of 
the most popular Local Area 
Networks, password access, 
support of the VENIX, XENIX, 
QNX, PC/IX and DOS 3.x opera- 
ting systems, and user con- 
figured, main-frame style, disk 
caching. Plus, you're not limited 
to one volume— use up to 24, if 
you need them, even on one 
physical disk. You can even 
spread one volume across two 
drives. You can have up to 240 
MBytes of formatted storage in- 
board your PC. Or, you can insert 
an Emerald sub-system, with 
integral backup and six PC 
expansion slots, right under your 
monitor, without increasing your 
PC's “footprinf even one inch. 
Backup protection 

Backup of large files is man- 
datory. Emerald can supply you 
with Vi inch, 60 MByte, cartridge 
or Vi inch, reel-to-reel, backup 
systems. The Vi inch system can 
even translate your mainframe 
(EBCDIC) files to ASCII. 


Laa?ger 
Than 



When operated under Emerald's 
Backup and Restore Utility (BRU) 
software, both backup files 
automatically, allow streamer or 
file oriented operation and file by 
file access of data. And. they do it 
fast-our Vi inch tape drive oper- 
ates at 5.4 MBytes per minute. 
That means you can backup 60 
MBytes, on one cartridge, in 11 
minutes. 

Cost Effective 

Emerald products translate 
directly into dollars and “sense.” 
Why pay mainframe prices to do 
a job your PC can accomplish for 
a fraction of the cost? 
Still not convinced? 

Why doni you pick up the 
phone? Dial (619) 270-1994, and 
ask to speak with an applications 
engineer. You can find out about 
our large installed customer 
base, learn about some of the 
applications environments our 
systems are performing in, or just 
request literature. Well even give 
you references in your area. Find 
out what your PC can do with a 
logical volume bigger than 
32 MBytes. 


Emerald Systems 
cmm * Corporation 

I Vi'i' i‘ I* i' i' Mainframe Storage for Micros 
11 -^ -•.•.'.•.•.•.•.•.'.-Tit \ \ 4757 Morena Blvd. 

San Diego, CA 92117 

— Telex: 323458 EMEftSYS 

Easylink: 62853804 

Emerald 

Systems Corporation 

^ •IBM-PC. XT & AT’' IBM Corp. 

Mainirame Storage for Micros. 
Backup and Restore Utility, 
BRU. & Emerald " Emerald Systems Corp. 



CIRCLE 111 ON READER SERVICE CARD 








BUSINESS 


nation lock unlocked and use the inde- 
pendent key lock to throw the bolts and 
open the safe. At night, the combination 
lock gives added protection. Some Euro- 
pean safes, offer a dual key lock that re- 


quires both keys to opren the safe. 

The Humidity Factor 

Excessive humidity can be as harmful 
as excessive heat. Steel safe interiors are 


prone to condensation, and the insulation 
used in some budget-priced models 
makes them even more vulnerable to 
condensation. Humidity isn't a serious 
problem with paper documents, but the 
UL standards for data safes require rela- 
tive humidity levels below 80 percent for 
flexible disks and below 85 percent for 
tapes and film. A data safe's label may 
not specify a humidity standard, but UL 
Class 1 25 safes are tested to the disk re- 
quirements for both temperature and hu- 
midity. while a Class 150 label indicates 
the slightly more pennissive tape and 
film standard. 

Mail-Order Safes 

Many computer supply catalog houses 
now offer data safes. Their listed prices 
may seem to be lower than those quoted 
by your local locksmith, who probably 
doesn't sell many data safes — yet. But 
before you place an order, you should 
compare delivery and installation prices. 
Catalog houses generally ship freight 
collect — the charge can be considerable 
on a heavy safe. Also, the trucker may 
not be willing to make an inside delivery. 
On the other hand, locksmiths who sell 
safes can install your safe exactly where 
you want it. attach its base, and check its 
locking function. Their overall installa- 
tion and delivery charge may be lower 
than a mail-order catalog's, too. Catalog 
houses may not specify whether their 
data safes are intended for tapes or disks. 
A Class 125 safe is best if you are using 
disks, because they ean maintain lower 
temperature and humidity levels. It 
would be foolish to spend a lot of money 
for an inadequate safe. 

Obviously, off-site storage of dupli- 
eate software and data files is an effective 
way to protect against total fire loss. But 
even in a remote location, you have to 
store the duplieate magnetic media in a 
secure container. A proper data safe or an 
updated company safe is your best insur- 
ance to protect the valuable output from 
your PC. B 


Bruce M . Cast is a staff writer with Tech- 
nology House. in Warren. New Jersey, a 
group of professional freelance writers 
who specialize in safety, security, and 
related subjects. 


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302 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11. 1985 







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CIRCLE 139 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




LAW NORVELL E. BRASCH 


One-Stop Shopping 

Lost in a jungle of confusing computer products for the legal profession? A 
Legal Tech seminar can help you find your way by helping you do 
comparison shopping among a variety of vendors and products. 



W hat’s the latest technology for 
the law office? Attorneys or 
law office managers charged 
with answering this question face a jun- 
gle of enthusiastic and frequently misin- 
formed computer vendors. Many law- 
yers and law office managers find the 
prospect of buying new equipment frus- 
trating and intimidating, and for gotxl 
' reason. 

I But now there is a way out of this Jun- 
gle. Since 1982, the Legal Tech semi- 
' nars, sponsored by Price Waterhouse, 
have been collecting many of the vendors 
vying for the legal market and assem- 
bling them all in one place for convenient 
comparative shopping. The conferences 
offer 3 days of intensive lectures on man- 
aging and applying technology for the 
law office, as well as the chance to see 
state-of-the-art hardware and software. 


A Legal Tech conference can make pur- 
chasing decisions more efficient and a 
little less painful. 

New York Legal Tech 
The first Legal Tech for 1985. held at 
the Sheraton Centre in New York City 
from January 28-30. offered lectures on 
managing and operating computer tech- 
nology along with hands-on sessions that 
taught some basic microcomputer appli- 
cations for the law office. Prepared with 
the right questions and a fundamental un- 
derstanding of the management prob- 
lems and possible solutions, even a com- 
puter novice could glean the right 
information from the exhibitors. For a 
law firm looking to purchase or update its 
word processing or time and billing sys- 
tems. sending a delegate to a Legal Tech 
conference is a wise investment. 


My own purpose in attending the New 
York Legal Tech was somewhat different. 
I work in a firm of 180 lawyers, and most 
of the mechanics of practice are already 
automated — albeit in need of refinement. 
As I see it, the prospect of using computers 
in the substantive practice of law rather 
than just in the administration of the law 
office is the mo.st exciting new trend in 
technology for lawyers. In other words, 
can a computer help solve the legal prob- 
lems of my clients, in addition to making 
the documents 1 prepare for them neater 
and the bill I send them more accurate? If a 
lawyer goes to a convention with this ob- 
jective, then the Legal Tech approach has 
some serious limitations. 

Management versus Analysis 

The New York conference concentrat- 
ed on computers as a management tool to 
the exclusion of some of the analytical 
uses of computers, a field in which the 
PC reigns. Many vendors wanted to sell 
time-keeping packages and word pro- 
cessing minicomputers. Relatively few 
microcomputer hardware and software 
manufacturers attended the New York 
Legal Tech . In the focus on the ‘ ‘back of- 
fice" functions, the more primary tasks 
of a lawyer were largely neglected. 

I did. however, unearth some gems. 
Several software companies have har- 
nessed the PC to manage document-in- 
tensive court cases with so-called litiga- 
tion support packages. Although most of 
the systems are modified versions of ba- 
sic database management packages, the 
customized legal software can be im- 
mensely helpful in organizing, sorting. 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


305 


lllustreiton; Greg RaglaiHl 



“Enable is everything 
Symphony hoped to be’’ 

PC Magazine Mmary 19. 1985 


“Quite simply, this packajte hits so many outstanding 
attributes that even the worst skeptics of integrated 
software have to lx- impressetl. The spreadshex-t is very 
close to 1-2-3; the word prtxessor combines the best 
thinking of WordStar, MultiMatc, Volkswriter, and 
EasyWriter; the data base offers the functionality of 
dBASE 11, but with many of the ease-of-use features of 
PowerBase; and the program offers business graphics 
and telecommunication. Taken as a whole, Enable 
surpasses the functionality of Symphony, Framework, 
Aura and Open Access" 

IBM PC Update 
Dciemlxr. l^)H4 

" as powerful as a collection of stand-alone programs, 
anti it offers the benefits of integration to boot. What's 
more, it runs in only 192K bytes of memory'.’ 
(iomputerWorld 
,\\.inh20. /y«5 

"Offering true integration among all of its applications 
modules . . . [Enable is] a [xtwerful prtxluction t(X)l 
that can serve everyone in the office, from data entry 
personnel to the vice-president of marketing. Each 
mtxlulc could stand as a full-[X)wered application in its 
own right'.' 

PC Magazine 
Mruary 79. /y«5 

“Enable is one of those programs that can be up and 
running with most of the features you ntx-d in a few 
hours. As you need more, you can get dex-per into the 
program and learn at your own pace'.' 

InfoWorld 
January 21. 7985 

Enable first in "Performance" rating-including speed 
and capacity of all modules tested. Enable first in 
“Versatility" rating-including power and functionality 
of all modules tested. Enable rated first in overall 
evaluation of the word prtxessor mtxlule. 

Software Digest Ratings Newsletter 
Raliny; of 15 Inkyiatal Pnducti 
Dmmlxr. 798-7 


“Enable, a five-function integrated system from The 
Software Group, merits a close Itxik by any individual 
or organization interested in a solid package that is 
well balanced in all of its applications'.’ 

Popular Computing 

^\arcb, 7985 . Paul Gnldmr. Ray mond HuoiJ, 

Yiiram Lirtzman. Michael Vl'ilding 

“ ... if an office is Itxiking to step up to across-the-board 
integration with a multitude of functions . . . this is the 
one program to seriously consider’.’ 

Personal Computing 
March. 7985 

“Enable welds its five applications together with 
outstanding integrity-yet each is exceptionally full- 
functioned in its own right’.’ 

Business Computer Systems 
January. 7985 

“Enable . . . may be the first program to make you give 
up your dog-c-ared WordStar, dBASE 11, Smartcom 
and Lotus 1-2-3 disks’.’ 

Business Software 
April. 19H5 

“Enable may legitimately claim to be the only package 
you’ll ever need’.’ 

Computer Buyer's Guide 
and Handbtxik 
November. P)H4 


Integrated 

software is no longer 
a matter of 

choosing which compromises 
to live with. 



integration without compromise 


© Oipyright 1985. The Soliware Group. Nw^thu-ay Ten Executive Pjirk. Ballston Like. Nevk- York 12019 


Enable 1.1... the frosting 
is now on the cake. 


When we inmxluced Enable in late '84, we 
made two promises: 

1. Enable would be the industry's first truly full 
function, totally integrated system. 

2. We would continue to enhance Enable with 
new features and functions to always give you 
the best value in microsoftw'are. 

1'he reviews on the left demonstrate our success 
with promise number I. 

The new features highlighted below do the same 
tor promise numl'ter 2. 

And this is merely the Ix-ginning. No matter what 
direction future micro technology takes. Enable, 
with its o[x'n architecture, will continue to advance 
right along with it. And with you. To ensure this, 
we've established an end user advisory board to tell 
us what you want. And we dn listen. 

Now for the new. 

System-wide Features 

• Data transfer facility-beyond "cut and pastc''-lets 
you transfer specific data from one mixiule to an- 
other, linking files across all applications. For 
example: a field in a DBMS rtxord can contain the 
name of a spreadsheet, a word pnxessing dtxument 
or selected records from another database. When 
viewing that record. Enable will automatically dis- 
play the other "linked " file. 

• User-designed menu generation-tailor Enable to 
your S|x-cific needs with your own unique menus, 
help and error messages, [X)p-up windows, and full 
choice of colors. 

• Window to IX)S-execute 1X)S functions without 
leaving Enable. 

Word Processing 

• Automatic indexing and tables of contents. 

• Multiple column copy and move. 

• MultiMate compatibility. (We already gave you 
WordStar, EasyWriter and Volkswriter.) 

Spreadsheet 

• U.ser configurable- chixise among 6 varied shapes 
from 255 rows X 255 columns to 4095 rows X 15 
columns. 

• 1-2-.5 macro support-automatically convert your 
existing Lotus macros or create your owm Enable- 


spreadsheet macros with all the same macro com- 
mands you used in l-2-,5. 

• Greatly increased Lotus file conversion (twenty 
times faster!). 

DBMS 

• Comprehensive file maintenance capabilities— 
verify, copy, update and merge functions. 

• Powerful command language-commands for 
writing routines, reading and updating files, gener- 
ating printed reports. (All the power of dBASE III 
w'ithout the complexity.) 

• Expanded rexord size-up to 254 rc-al, virtual and 
computed fields. 

• Direct conversion of Lotus spreadsheet data into 
Enable database format. (Now you can use Enable's 
full-function DBMS instc-ad of the limitcxl database- 
functions of the Lotus spreadshex-t.) 

Telecommunications 

• Terminal emulation (VT-l()() and other |x)pular 
models). 

Graphics 

• Increased printer and plotter support (twice as 
many leading mixlels). 

And now for the really good news. All this func- 
tionality can be at your fingertips on the standard 
256K IBM PC, up through the PC/AT (and true 
compatible's). All for $695. 

You can, at last, get out of the quagmire of trying 
to solve your multi-purpose needs with single pur- 
pose software. 

Your training and support costs will drop, data 
sharing will rise. Dramatically. 

You can even protect your investment in Lotus 
1-2-.5, MultiMate, WorclStar and dBASE II because 
Enable is fully compatible with those and other 
single purpose programs. 

And, since trying is believing, we ll send you a 
demo system for a token $ 12.95 . 

If your dealer doesn't carry Enable (and you should 
raise Cain if he doesn't), give us a call and we ll put 
you in touch w-ith one who does. 

Just dial 1-800-9.52-02.5.5. In New York, dial 
1-800-558-4646. 


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and reiricving documents that meet spe- 
eifie eriteria. Preset with Fields for au- 
thor. reeipient, date, mentioned individ- 
uals. and a brief summary, a litigation 
support package can make responding to 
a forbidding set of interrogatories a snap. 
While several vendors offer a document 
coding and storing service on main- 
frames or minicomputers useful for large 
cases, the PC can do the coding and stor- 
ing for cases involving under 10.000 
documents cheaply and in-house. 

New Recruit 

The Paralegal Institute of Philadel- 
phia. perhaps more attuned to streamlin- 
ing the lawyer's practice, displayed a 
new software package called Recruit, de- 
signed to assist law firms in hiring new 
professional talent. Recruit is an inte- 
grated package that organizes the resume 
information of applicants, sorts the ap- 
plicants by their desirable attributes, and 
even drafts the rejection letters to those 
that fail to make the cut. Although still an 
administrative aid. Recruit offers a 
glimpse at the potential of software dedi- 
cated to a specific legal task rather than a 
generic computer function, such as word 
processing or database management. 

Among the seminars offered at Legal 
Tech, the most promising were the 
hands-on tutorials that offered partici- 
pants a chance to learn how to quantify 
damages in a legal case, build a planning 
model for the future of their law firms, 
and use the PC in litigation support. Al- 
though well organized, I found these ses- 
sions too basic for the lawyer already at- 
tuned to the functions of a PC and 
looking for new ways to use it. Each be- 
gan with a primer on how to use a 
spreadsheet and where to find the Enter 
key, leaving too little time for the appli- 
cation itself 

At the Podium 

The most useful information came out 
of the lecture series in technology for the 
practicing lawyer. Lawrence Kramer of 
Ballard. Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll in 
Philadelphia gave an entertaining talk on 
computers in the trusts and estates prac- 
tice. "Don't go for user friendly." Kra- 
mer advised his colleagues looking for 
software, "go for powerful." He men- 


308 


CIRCLE 527 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE It, 1985 



tioned new packages in estate tax plan- 
ning and administration but emphasized 
the value of standard spreadsheet and 
word processing packages. 

Paul Butler of the New York firm of 
Shearman & Sterling spoke on the use of 
microcomputers to support a tax prac- 
tice. He discussed time-value-of-money 
computations, audit analysis, and even 
the prospect of taking a portable PC to an 
IRS settlement conference for instant re- 
sults. He then talked about one of the 
more ambitious experiments in integrat- 
ing the microcomputer into the practice 
of law. Butler says that Shearman & 
Sterling gives a PC to every attorney who 
can justify its use; the firm now has 150 
machines in its offices. Each PC is tied to 
the firm's centralized word processing 
system, and each is capable of communi- 
cating with external databases for legal 
research and other outside information 
services. Software is distributed as a sup- 
ply, and young associates are encour- 
aged to design their own spreadsheets 
and draft documents at the kfeyboard. 

How is the experiment working? 
When asked if the PCs had made his de- 
partment more profitable, Butler candid- 
ly admitted, “We have no idea, but we 
have the sense that we’re doing things 
faster. “ He focused instead on the quali- 
tative benefits, saying he was convinced 
that, “If we took the computers away, 
most of our associates would quit; 
they’re really attached to them.” The 
firm is now considering buying PCs for 
the homes of its 400 attorneys. 


Plans for the Future 

Future Legal Tech seminars are 
planned this year for Los Angeles from 
June 1 1-13 and Chicago from November 
12-14. Mary Anne Baggaley of Price 
Waterhouse, coordinator for the Los An- 
geles Legal Tech, promises more for the 
computer-literate lawyer, including a 
day devoted to spiecific applications. The 
conference offers a single-day rate of 
$ 1 30 as well as the 3-day package price 
of $275. To make arrangements, call 
(212)877-5619. ■ 


Norvell E. Brasch is a lawyer associated 
with the firm of Holme Roberts & Owen 
in Denver and Colorado Springs. 


309 

Copy'’'Cf''oc rnasy-’zi 


Most project managers 
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Control, control, control. 

If you're a project manager, we know what you face every day. 

Were project managers too. And we created our Project Planner 
software to provide comprehensive support for managers who 
run all kinds of projects ... in engineered construction, aerospace, 
defense, new product development, data processing, plant 
maintenance and more. 

PRIMAVERA Project Planner™ and Primavision™ Plotter graphics 
give you sophisticated scheduling capabilities for up to 10.000 
activities, resource leveling, cost control, custom reporting, bar 
charts— the works. 

PRIMAVERA PROJECT PLANNER 

It's the most project management you can get from a micro 

System Requirements: IBM-PC/XT. PC/AT |5l2k) or compatibles 



Im interested DSend working demolS75,OOl. 
□ Send free brochure □ Call me 


Name Title 

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PC MAGAZINE ♦JUNE II. 1985 


CIRCLE 187 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


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CIRCLE 321 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



CLUB NEWS DAVID HOFFMAN 


Across the Boards 


Electronic bulletin boards offer many of the same benefits 
provided by PC user groups, without the geographical limitations. 


A ny PC owner with a modem has 
free access to a valuable informa- 
tion and communication resource. 
A growing nationwide system of electron- 
ic bulletin boards (BBS) offers computer 
links that are often more pereonal , more lo- 
cal. and less expensive than similar ser- 
vices on commercial systems such as 
CompuServe and The Source. And, they 
can be more fun than MCI Mail or Dow 
Jones News/Retrieval Service. Lonely 
owners of certain PC-compatibles may 
find solace in a BBS specializing in their 
brands. A programmer might download 
the perfect DOS utility or a scientist might 
save money with a public-domain word 
processing program that is quite adequate 
for ocea,sional needs. Or you might have 
opinions, questions, or a program of your 
own creation that you would like to share 
with others. liach BBS is really a commu- 
nity in itself, regardless of the geographi- 
cal location of its callers. The personality 
of the bulletin board is generally a reflec- 
tion of its system operator (sysop), the 
dedicated soul who maintains the system 
as a hobby and/or public service. 

Common functions of the boards in- 
clude sending and receiving public or pri- 
vate messages, the transferring of text or 
program files, and posting of bulletins of 
general interest. Xmodem, a popular pub- 
lic-domain error-checking protocol, is fre- 
quently used to transfer binary files, sucb 
as .COM and .EXE, that may contain ap- 
plications program information, as op- 
posed to strict ASCII text. While you 
might sit down and write your own BBS 
software, you could also use one of the 
three host programs predominantly in use: 





RBBS, HOSTCOMM. and FIDO. They 
are constantly being modified, expanded, 
and improved, both by individual sysops 
and for downloadable release versions. 
For the best historical and current informa- 
tion on a BBS, you should ask a sysop. 
Most sysops will gladly respond to serious 
inquiries. 

You can contact most boards (see Fig- 


ure I for a listing of 75 of them) at speeds 
of 300 or 1200 baud, unless otherwise in- 
dicated. A growing number of sysops are 
showing interest in the new generation of 
2400-baud modems and arc experimenting 
with units that have been loaned or donated 
by manufacturers. 

Communication parameters determine 
the rules of communication for a session. 
The two most common combinations of 
communication parameters are 8 data bits, 
no parity, and I stop bit (N, 8. 1); and 7 data 
bits, even parity, and I stop bit (E.7.1). 
After the modems exchange one of these 
mating calls or a similar one and connec- 
tion is established, you slowly hit the Enter 
key once or twice— but be careful because 
this may tell the host computer whether to 
run at 300 or 1 200 baud . In most cases, the 
BBS detects your baud rate and parameters 
and adjusts itself accordingly. You will 
then begin an interactive, usually menu- 
driven, session with the remote computer. 
It requests your name, city of origin, and a 


Save Typing; Call PC-IRS 


PC-IRS, the PC Magazine Interactive 
Reader Service, has proven to be ex- 
tremely popular, logging thousands of 
calls in its first month of operation. It cur- 
rently contains all of the utilities pub- 
lished in the Programming Column from 
December 1984 to the present (in .ASM. 
.BAS, and .COM forms), indexes for 
Volume 3. and some of the most ptrpular 
Uscr-to-User programs. We’ll shortly be 


adding still more and doing some reader 
polling. 

To try it. htxtk up your mixlem ( 1 200 
or 300 baud, no parity. 8 bits. I stop bit is 
easiest, but we'll adapt) and — for fullest 
use — make sure your modem software 
supports the XMODEM protocol. You 
can reach PC-IRS at (212) 696-0360 24 
hours a day, 7 days a week, and free (ex- 
cept for your phone bill). — Craig Stark 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


311 





SOMEBODY 

Has To Have The Lowest Prices 


IBM PC, 2M K, On« Half Height 320 K Disk Drive OS/DO. 
Persyst Color Card. Taxan Green Monitor. DOS 2.1 PLUS 
a 10MB Hard Disk Sub System all for- 

$2690.00 

IBM PC, 2S« K. Two Half Height Drives OS/DO. Persyst 
Color Card. Taxan Green Monitor. DOS 2.1, 130 Watt 
Power Suply PLUS a 10MB Hard Disk Sub System all for 

$2960.00 

IBM PC, 2M K, Two Half Height Drives DS/DO. Persyst 
Color Card. Taxan Green Monitor. DOS 2.1. 130 Watt 
Power Supply. 10MB Hard Disk Sub System, PLUS 10MB 
Tape Back Up System all for; 

$3579.00 

IBM PC. 2S6 K. Two Half Height Drives DS/DO. Persysi 
Color Card. Taxan Green Monitor. DOS 2.1. 130 Wati 
Power Supply. 20MB Hard Dish Sub System all for 

$3380.00 

IBM PC. 2M K, Two Half Height Drives DS/00. Persyst 
Color Card, Taxan Green Monitor. DOS 2 I. 130 Watt 
Power Supply, 20MB Hard Disk Sub System PLUS lOMB 
Tape Back Up System all for: 

$3979.00 

(We configure and test the system at no extra cost ) 


CLUB NEWS 


MONITORS 









TAXAN GREEN COMPOSITE 

TAXAN AMBER COMPOSITE 

$125.00 

$13500 



IBM MONOCHROMF niSPl AY 

$260 00 


PRINTERS 















OKIOATA93P . .... 

DKtnATA (UP 

OIKIOATA 2410P .. . .. 

$625 00 


TOSHIBA Pt351 

$1295 00 

NEC SPINWRITER 3550 

NEC PINWRITER SO COL 

NEC PINWRITER 136 COL 

$1595 00 

$699 00 

$899 00 

BROTHER HR-3S $925 00 

(Accessories on NEC & OKIDATA printers available) 

DRIVES 



SLIMLINE • TEAC SSB 



MULTIFUNCTION BOARDS 

AST 1/0*1 SFR A 1 PAR 

$179 00 

OUAOBOARD64K 

$269 00 

IBM COLOR GRAPHIC ADAPTER 

IBM MONO PRINTER ADAPTER 

$225 00 

$230 00 

PERSYST MONO PRIN"ER ADAPTER 

HERCULES GRAPHIC AD.aFTER 

HERCULES COLOR CARO 

STB GRAPHIX PLUS II 

$210-00 

$349.00 

$210.00 

$375 00 

MODEMS 


HAYES SMART MODEM 1200 

HAYES SMART MODEM 300 

HAYES 1200B PLUG IN CARO 

OUBIE PC 212A/1200 INT 

QUBIE PC 212E/1200 EXT 

SSSSS 

UKi 

liil! 

HARO DISKS 

lOMfl SlIR SYSTEM INT 

10MB SUB SYSTEM EXT 

$850.00 

$1025 00 


CONTROL DATA DISKETTES 

KFVTRONIC Kfi.S1fi1 

PARALLEL CABLES 

_ $25 00/box 

$109 00 

. $25.00 


S4K RAM UPGRADE KIT ISO 00 

128K RAM UPGRADE KIT (For AT) $199 00 

IBM PC POWER SUPPLY (Original) 63.5 Watts _ $69.00 
IBM KEYBOARD FOR PC (Original) $109 00 




(714) 838-7530 

2640 Walnut Avenue. Unit K. 
Justin, California 92680 

(Prices & availability subject to change without notice 
— IBM IS a registered trademark of IBM Corporation ) 



Figure 1 : These 75 hulleiin board systems will lead you to other special interest boards. 


312 CIRCLE 338 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 








personal password for future access. 
BBS's even have unspoken rules of eti- 
quette. For instance, it is considered rude 
to leave a fictitious name. Similarly, be- 
fore you log off, you should leave a polite 
comment about your own interests or reac- 
tions to the BBS. A facility for doing this is 
usually provided as a menu item. Sysops 
frown upon users who only download soft- 
ware and never contribute original materi- 
al. Sharing is a common theme on a BBS. 

PC Magazine's compilation of some of 
the top 75 boards is based on accessibility, 
geographical spread, diversity of interest, 
youth (newness), survivability (oldness), 
and currency/frequency of posted mes- 
sages. These criteria may seem arbitrary 


The overwhelmingly 
favorite topics of 
interest on all boarids 
are microcomputer 
harcfware, software, and 
communications hardware 
and software. 

and unfair, but PC primarily wants to rec- 
ommend reliable BBS’s that support a 
spectrum of interests and are known to 
welcome serious users. If you poke around 
on any of these boards you will undoubted- 
ly unearth up-to-date listings of many 
more BBS’s, some of which are devoted to 
specific geographical areas. While special 
areas of interest are noted here, the over- 
whelmingly favorite topics on all boards 
are microcomputer hardware, microcom- 
puter software, and microcomputer com- 
munications (hardware and software). The 
listed hours of operation refer to the BBS’s 
local time. 

Bulletin board systems are entering a 
phase of maturation and are becoming 
more powerful, flexible, and specialized. 
However, an increasing number of reports 
indicate that scores of BBS guests exhibit 
thoughtless or malevolent behavior. Sy- 
sops or businesses have donated thousands 
of dollars and hours to their systems and 
have no need of abuse to their psyches and 
machinery. As a result, some sysops re- 
quire confirmation of mailing address and 
phone number with registration before you 


are given full access to system features, 
and some systems request donations or a 
low annual fee. Almost every system al- 
lows even the casual user to read bulletins 
and messages. In fact, this is how PC gath- 


ered the phone numbers in this survey. PC 
Magazine wishes to thank all the system 
operators and BBS contributors for their 
help in making this exchange of informa- 
tion possible. ■ 


PICTURE THIS. 


N-l 1 


_i_L 



1 


Until now, your PC wasn't giving you 
the full picture. Because no matter how 
you look at it, it takes both time and 
money to convert old drawings to your 
new CAD system. 

But Datacopy's new graphic scanners 
change all that. 

Convert old drawings to your PC CAD 
system. QuicUy. 

This remarkable peripheral enables 
you to move images from paper to your 
CAD database. Without painstaking 
manual digitizing. 

When used with AutoDesk's CAD/ 
camera™ and AutoCAD,™ 

Datacopy's scanners 
can convert images 
to vector form for 
drawings or sym* 
bol libraries. Or 
convert CAD 
drawings to raster 
format for complex 
documents. 


Thanks to our electronic 
digitizing scanner, you can 
capture images in high res- 
olution. Then manipulate, 
convert, store, retrieve, or 
print them. 

But what's truly amazing 
is the range of other appli- 
cations for Datacopy scan- 
ners. Such as generating 
technical manuals including 
text, drawings and pictures. 

Catalogs. Personnel or doc- 
ument files. Or whatever you decide. 

All you need to get in the picture is an 
IBM ?Cr, AT, or compatible. Our friendly, 
yet powerful. Word Image Processing 
System" software is included in your 
purchase. 

The result is a visionary achievement: 
the power to draft information, not just 
drawings: to publish information, not 
just data. All fora surprisingly low cost. 

But seeing is truly believing. Which is 
why you should call our toll-free number 
today for more information — 1-800-821- 
2898 or in California 
415-965-7900. Or 
write Datacopy 
Corporation, 1215 
Terra Bella Ave- 
nue, Mountain 
View, CA 94043. 
Telex: 701994 
DATACOPY 
UD. 


DATACOPY 

The Eye of the Computer” 



For /aster response call 1-800-556-1234 or tn Cali/omiacaH 1-800-441-2345 ask /or ext. 96 
CIRCLE 325 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE I ! . 1985 


313 





• Low Low Prices 

• Same Day Shipping 

• No Surcharge for Credit Cards 

• Open from 9 AM to 9 PM EST 

(Mon. - Sat.) 

1 - 800 - 237-4048 

(ORDERS ONLY) 


COMPUTERS 

DISPLAY CARDS 

IBM 

HERCULES 

PC. 2 DSDO DRIVES. 256K 1695 

XT. 1 0SDD/10MR. 256K 2595 

AT. 1 OD/20MB.512K 5695 

PORTABLE. 2 DSDO. 256K 2214 

COLOR CARD/PRINTER PORT 169 

MONOCHROME GRAPHICS 319 

MULTI-FUNCTION CARDS 

COLUMBIA 

AST 

PC. 2 DSDO. 126K 1890 

XT. 1 DSDD/10M8. 12BK 3164 

P0RTA6LE. 2 DSDO. 128K 2030 

SIX PACK PLUS.64K. CSP 255 

MEGAPLUS. 64K TO S12K 255 

MP-2.64K T0 3S4K. CLOCK 223 

ADVANTAGE. TO 3MB FOR AT 395 

HALF CARD MEMORY. 64K TO 256K .190 
HALF CARD I/O. CS 119 

TELEVIDEO 

PC. 2 OSDD. 256K 1960 

PC. 2 DSDO. 256K. COLOR 2263 

XT. 1 DSDD/10M6. 2S6K 3472 

XT. 1 DS0D/10M8. 2S6K. COLOR . . .3623 
P0RTA6LE. 2 OSDD. 256K 1706 

QUADRAM 

QUADBOARD. OK. CSPG 229 

MODEMS 

MONITORS 

HAYES 

AMDEK 

300. GREEN 129 

300, AMBER 139 

310A, AMBER 159 

300 BAUD 199 

300/1200 BAUD 421 

12008. INTERNAL 345 

2400B 649 

600. RGB COLOR 419 

710. SUPER HI RES COLOR 549 

MISCELLANEOUS 


PRINCETON 

MAX-12. AMBER 169 

HX-12. RGB COLOR 469 

SR-12. SUPER HI RES/DOUBLER 879 

MEMORY. 64K 23 

KEYTR0NICSS151 KEY60ARD 199 

PRINTER STANDS FROM 19 

FLIP-N-FILE 19 

THE SOURCE SU6SCRIPTI0N 33 

PRINTER CABLE 29 

MnOFMRARIF IQ 

QUADRAM 

VERBATIM DISKS. DSDO 29 

BASF DISKS OSQD FOR AT 65 

AMBERCHROME. MONO 169 

QUADCHROME 2. RGB COLOR 429 

MICROFAZER BUFFER. 8K 129 

MICROFAZER BUFFER. 64K 213 

MEMORY, 25BK 129 



PRINTERS 


OKIDATA 


82A 

83A. WIDE CARRIAGE . 
84P. WIDE CARRIAGE . 

92P 

gap. WIDE CARRIAGE . 

2350P 

241DP 

TRACTDR FOR 82/92 . 


.299 

.556 


..389 

.599 

.1790 

.1790 

...49 


EPSON 


RX.80 

RX-80. WITH TRACTOR . 
RX-100WI0E CARRIAGE. 
FXm WITH TRACTOR.. 
FX-tOO. WIDE CARRIAGE 
L0 1500 


.249 

.299 

..405 

.429 

.639 

.1159 


NEC 


2050 699 

3550 1399 

8850 1811 

81-DIRECTIONAL TRACTOR 154 

CUT SHEET GUIDE 64 


JUKI 


6100 

6300 

81-DIRECTIONAL TRACTOR. 
SINGLE SHEET FEEDER . . . 


.399 

.757 

.129 

.200 


MPI 


SPRINTER . . 
SPRINTER X 
TRAVEL LID 


.463 

.540 

.38 




COMPUTER MART 
1901 S. TAMIAMI TRAIL 
VENICE, FL 33595 


Call for Non-Adv«r1ls«4 Itamt and Lowar Currant Pricat 
IBM is a Registered Trademark of International Business Machines. 
Prices subject to change. We accept Master Card. VISA, Money 
Orders, certified and personal checks and COO shipments 

IN FLORIDA CALL 813-493-2736 


CIRCLE 183 ON READER SERVICE CARD 









EDITED BY DAVID OBREGON 

NewontheMaiicet 


HARDWARE 

SMT PC Controller 
A low-cost interface board 
that can control and read 
data from as many as 1 28 
remote slave cards, located 
as far away as one mile 
from the user’s system. It 
can be used in such applica- 
tions as controlling electric 
motors, heaters, infrared 
sensors, switches, relays, 
A/D and D/A boards, and 
so forth, accepting instruc- 
tions from applications 
written in BASIC or other 
languages. 

The SMT PC Controller 
uses a pulse-width modula- 
tion technique to transmit 
and receive data from the 
slave cards, connected to 
the user’s system either 
through a single co-axial 
cable or shielded twisted- 
pair wire. Compatible 
slave cards available from 
the board’s manufacturer 
include: 

• A/D, reading up to 10 
analog inputs 

• Relay board, control- 
ling as many as eight loads 
up to 2 amps 

• Triac card, switching 
eight 5 amp/ 1 25 VAC circuits 

• Digital I/O board, pro- 
grammable for various 
input/output configurations 


in multiples of four 

• D/A board with two an- 
alog outputs and six binary 
TTL outputs. 

(List Price: SMT PC Con- 
troller board, $199: slave 
cards. $l49-$289) 

Systems Manufacturing 
Technology, Inc. 

1 145 Lin^ Vista Dr., #109 
San Marcos, CA 92069 
(619) 744-3590 

CIRCLE 661 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Net-Worker 

A PC network system cen- 
tered upon an 801 86-based 
file server offering a mass 
storage capacity of up to 8 
gigabytes. A single Net- 
Worker file server can 
accommodate up to 4,080 
PCs; additional networks 
can be interconnected 
for larger installations. 

Each Net-Worker can 
also support up to 
16 automatically queued 
printers. 

Operating systems sup- 
ported by the network in- 
clude PC-DOS (MS-DOS), 
CP/M,CP/M-86,MP/M, 
and MP/M-86. Net-Worker 
uses the Arcnet token-pass- 
ing protocol to speed 
throughput and avoid traffic 
conflicts. 

Two levels of security al- 
low restrictions to be placed 


on individual files or PCs. 
Security provisions also per- 
mit individual users’ hard 
disks to be shared by other 
users, even though portions 
of the hard disks are 
screened from access by the 
network. 

The basic Net-Worker 
configuration includes 27 
megabytes of mass storage, 
one LAN master card and 
four PC interface cards. 
Other components in the 
system include nine-track 
tape drives, streaming 
tape cartridge drives, 
and extensive communica- 
tions options. 

(List Price: Basic configura- 
tion. $9,2(X)) 

B-Komp, Inc. 

5949 Sherry Ln.. #1535 
Dallas, TX 75225 
(214) 750-KOMP 

CIRCLE 660 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


AD-1 Converter 

An 8-bit, 8-channel 
analog/digital converter 
that interfaces to the user’s 
system via an RS-232 serial 
port. Full-scale single-end- 
ed voltages can range from 
2.5 to 5.0 VDC (adjust- 
able), compatible with a 
wide range of transducers. 
Features of the standalone 
device include solderless/ 
lugless connectors, DIP 
switch-selectable baud 
rates from 300 to 19. 2K 
(with input sample rates 
from 1 5 to 960 Hz), an in- 
ternal interface for addi- 
tional digital and relay out- 
put boards, and a 
prototyping area with op 
amp, configurable by the 
user. 

The AD- 1 includes power 
supply, user’s manual, and 
driver software. 



AD-I ConverUtf Ozark Peripherals Div. 


New on the Market Submissions Guide 

O'.ving to the high volume of new product materials received each week at PC. all submissions to New on the Market should follow these guidelines: 

1. IiKlude the retail price and details of both hardware and software needed for an end*user to properly use your new product. This includes required 
amount of RAM. number and type of drives, operating systems supported, and peripheral equipment needed. 

2. Releases should be typewritten double-spaced on one side of the paper. Copies of advertisements may be included, but in most instances we need 
more information than is typically included in an ad. Include telephone contacts for marketing and technical questions. 

3. If available, include black & white glossy photos of the product. 4x5 inches or larger. 

New on the Maricet does not review products; do not send sample or demo copies of software. All product announcements are run on a space-available 
basis, at the exclusive discretion cf the editor. Please note that it is impossiMe to guarantee publication of a product aruKxiiKement for any particular is^. 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


315 


HARDWARE • SOFTWARE 



(List Price: $189.95) 

Ozark Peripherals Div. 
Caldwell. Jusliss <& 

Co. , Inc. 

7 Colt Square 
P.O.Box 520 
Faxetleville. AK 72702 
(800) 643^343 

CIRCLE 659 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

RITEMAN 11 

A low-cost dot matrix print- 
er with up to 8K RAM , a 
print speed of 160 cps in nor- 
mal mode (reduced to 80 cps 
in “quiet” mode), and nine 
built-in character sets to 
choose from. 

Other features of the 
RITEMAN II include pro- 
portional spacing and the 
ability to mix type styles and 
sizes within a document . 

The printer can be ordered 
with a 2K RAM buffer, or, 
for an additional $50, an 8K 
RAM buffer. 

(List Price: 2K RAM. $549; 
8K RAM. $599) 

Inforunner Corp. 

Airport Business Cntr. 

431 \. Oak St. 

Inglewood. CA 90302 
(800) 824-3044 
(213)453-6688 

CIRCLE 658 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


Twinax 5251-1 1 PC Board 

A plug-in board allowing 
the IBM PC to support such 
mainframe system printers 
as the IBM 5256, 5224. or 
5225. The board features a 
HOT KEY switch that per- 
mits IBM System 34/36/38 
equipment to access print- 
ers connected to the 
user's IBM PC. Also, since 
the board does not use 
the PC’s DMA channel 
resources, it does not 
conflict with any hard 
disk or network cards that 
are installed in the user’s 
system. 

Options available with the 
T winax 5251-11 include a 
companion 525 1 D Monitor 
Card that supports the 
full 32 attributes of a 
5251 screen. 

(List Price: $895: 5251 D 
Card. $495) 

Comark. Inc. 

135 N. Brandon Dr. 
Glendale Hgts.. IL 60139 
(800)323-6135 
(312)351-9700 

CIRCLE 657 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Stowaway 11 

A removable-cartridge 
drive in a half-height con- 
figuration, offering a stor- 


age capacity of 10 
megabytes per standard 
data cartridge. The Stow- 
away II drive can function 
as either a primary or sec- 
ondary drive backup, with 
the ability to copy files se- 
lectively at an average 
access time of 94 milli- 
seconds. 

The cartridge drive is 
available in three configu- 
rations. In the first, the unit 
is offered as a module that 
fits inside the user’s sys- 
tem. It is also available in a 
standalone enclosure or 
paired with an external hard 
disk subsystem. 

(List Price: Available from 
the manufacturer) 

Great Lakes Computer 
Peripherals. Inc. 

2200 W. Higgins Rd.. #245 
Hoffman Estates. IL 60195 
(312)884-7272 

CIRCLE 656 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


SOFTWARE 


The Promise 
An integrated program al- 
lowing the user to perform 
banking, financial record- 
keeping. discount broker- 
age, ticket purchasing, mes- 
sage forwarding, shopping, 
data retrieval, and other 
communications tasks from 
a home PC with a modem. 

The Promise, which in- 
corporates the functions of 
several different types of 
communications programs 
while using a consistent 
command set and menu 
structure, is fully integrat- 
ed to minimize repetitive 
data entry. The Promise's 
banking module, for exam- 


ple, allows the user to pay 
all bills at one time; as bills 
are paid, the software auto- 
matically updates record- 
keeping categories, 
balances checking account 
records, and carries out 
tax analysis for use at a fu- 
ture time. 

Data such as the user’s 
credit card and bank account 
numbers are entered only 
once and can be accessed 
automatically thereafter 
with single keystrokes. The 
user can pre-determine the 
dates on which purchases are 
to be made and bills paid and 
let the software carry out the 
programmed actions unat- 
tended. This frees the user 



'•S/l: 


The Promise, Harbinger Home 
Computer Services 


316 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 . 1985 



SOFTWARE 



from carrying out each 
transaction personally or 
risking late payment. 

The Promise uses En- 
glish-language instructions, 
help screens for every func- 
tion, a logical progression of 
menu options, and color 
coding for different func- 
tions when used with a color 
system. It is compatible with 
digital mice, permitting the 
user to choose options on the 
menus by pressing buttons 
on the hand-held device. 
Data on transactions made 
and the current status of ac- 
counts can be displayed 
graphically as bar charts. 

Aside from the software 
itself, the program’s produc- 
er also offers a centralized 
computer center, accessible 
by modem through The 
Promise's menu, that can 
link the user’s system to 
outside services not 
normally reachable by 
modem. 

(List Price: Software, $495: 
Computer Center fees, $12- 
$15 projected monthly 
average) 

Requires: 256K RAM, two 
disk drives, PC-DOS 2.jr, 
modem. 

Harbinger Home Computer 
Services 

I9W Century Pi., #380 
Atlanta, GA 30345 
(404)320-1636 

CIRCLE 655 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Epsilon 2.0 
An editor featuring the 
ability to compile and link a 
program concurrently in 
one window while continu- 
ing to edit files in other 
windows. 

With a simple command. 


the user can set up a pro- 
gram to run in an Epsilon 
2.0 buffer displayed as a 
window on the screen. The 
program’s output is cap- 
tured and inserted in the 
buffer; input to the program 
is provided whenever the 
user types characters in that 
window . Epsilon 2 .0 allows 
the program to run whenev- 
er the user pauses, auto- 
matically switching back 
to the active window 
when the user resumes 
editing. 

The editor can concur- 
rently run most programs 
that do not make use of spe- 
cial screen attributes, in- 
cluding compilers, assem- 
blers, linkers, filters, and 
the DOS command proces- 
sor. Epsilon 2.0 is modeled 
on the EMACS editor used 
on mainframe systems and 
does not place limits on 
buffer size, line lengths, or 
the number of files that can 
be edited at once. Up to 1 1 
windows can be placed on 
the screen at one time, 
each displaying different 
buffers. 

Other features include a 
macro definition facility that 
can assign any of the editor’s 
1 20 commands to single 
keys. The editor can also 
automatically break lines 
and reformat paragraphs, 
search and replace text, and 
transpose words, characters, 
and lines easily. A built- 
in context-sensitive help 
facility presents help 
screens by command name, 
key, and topic, and will 
also reflect any changes 
the user may have made 
in the program’s com- 
mand set. 


(List Price: $195) 

Requires: l92KRAM,one 
360K drive, PC-IX)S2.x. 
Luguru Software, Ltd. 

5227 Fifth Ave., #12 
P.O. Box! 10037 
Pittsburgh, PA 15232 
(412)621-5911 

CIRCLE 654 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

The Seller’s Analysis 
A program for real estate pro- 
fessionals, designed to ana- 
lyze real estate transactions 
from the seller’s viewpoint. 
The program can compare 
different offers, structure 
counter offers, and compute 
the lax consequences of pro- 
posed deals. Such analysis 
can aid the user in determin- 
ing the actual profitability of 
each offer. 

Taxes are computed using 
either tax schedules or tax 
bracket methods. The Sell- 
er's Analysis can determine 


what an “all-cash" offer 
would have to be to equal a 
specified "terms” offer. 

For cash sales, the program 
allows the user to input the 
specific after-tax return de- 
sired; the program will then 
determine the selling price 
necessary to produce the de- 
sired proceeds. 

(List Price: $189: demo, $5) 
Requires; 64K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS . 

The TaftCameron Co. 
I0800N.E. 8th. #1015 
Bellevue, WA 98004 
(206)451-9303 

CIRCLE 653 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Asiagraphics W.P. 

System 

A word processing system 
enabling the IBM PC to gen- 
erate and process text writ- 
ten in such Asian scripts as 
Chinese, Japanese, and Ko- 
rean. 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 


317 


SOFTWARE 


The system employs a 
unique input word called a 
DESCRIPTOR to specify 
characters. This DESCRIP- 
TOR eliminates the prob- 
lems normally associated 
with traditional phonetic in- 
put methods, minimizing 
phonetic homophone char- 
acter conflicts. 

The input method is based 
on the pronunciation of the 
character, using the phonet- 
ic systems of Pinyin, Wade- 
Giles, or Bopomofo for Chi- 
nese. and either Katakana or 
Romaji for Japanese. 

Hangul or Roman 
pronounciation is used for 
Korean language entry. 
These widely used pronun- 
ciation methods simplify 
learning the Asiagraphics 
system, since it is based on 
language skills the user al- 
ready possesses. 

(List Price: A vailable from 
the manufacturer) 

Requires: 640K RAM. two 
disk drives, PC-DOS. Her- 
cules Graphics Card. 
Asiagraphics Corp. 

407 E. Main St. 

P.O. Box 153 

Port Jefferson, NY 11777 

(516)473-8881 

CIRCLE 652 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

8086/88 Unassembler 
A utility for assembly pro- 
gramming. permitting the 
user to modify programs 
for which the original 
source code is unavailable. 
It accepts .EXE, .COM. 
and other executable files 
as input, producing an 
assembly source file 
suitable for modifica- 
tion by a standard macro 
assembler. 


8086188 Unassembler 
can fully unassemble files 
with up to 1 .000 labels 
(with similar restrictions on 
the number of segments it 
can handle at one time). A 
second version of tbe soft- 
ware. capable of handling 
larger files, is also avail- 
able if desired from the 
manufacturer. 

(List Price: $50) 

Requires; 64K RAM. one 
disk drive. PC-DOS. 
JBSofrware 
/ 13 W. Monument St. 
Baltimore, MD 21201 
(301)539-2616 

CIRCLE 651 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

PrivacyPlus 

A data security program that 
uses only two commands — 
Lock and Unlock — to pro- 
tect the user's data files. It 
works with hard or floppy 
disks, files on either 
standalone or networked 
PCs. A special feature 
allows electronic mail 
messages to be secured 
easily. 

PrivacyPlus includes two 


Trigger, Thoughtvpare, Inc. 


encryption alternatives: a 
proprietary "Fast" algo- 
rithm. and the DES algo- 
rithm approved by the Na- 
tional Bureau of Standards. 
Other features include a 
multiple password option, 
password suppression, file 
hiding, special error- 
prevention features, and 
more. 

(List Price: $159; demo 
disks, $20) 

Requires: l28KRAM,one 
disk drive, PC-DOS. 

United Software 
Security Inc. 

6867 Elm St. 

McLean. VA 22101 
(703)556-0007 

CIRCLE 650 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Trigger 

A program to help managers 
focus on those areas of their 
operations that contribute 
most to productivity and 
profitability. Trigger moni- 
tors key performance areas, 
identifies exceptions to per- 
formance guidelines, and 
then issues memos identify- 
ing the problem, its probable 


causes, and the action 
required in order to 
remedy it. 

Trigger works with the 
user to implement the system 
and measure the results, 
then uses the results as feed- 
back to fine-tune the system 
to the user’s situation. It 
guides the user in the cre- 
ation of an application 
knowledge base capable of 
identifying specific causes, 
effects, and remedies for fu- 
ture problems. The longer 
the user works with Trigger. 
the more specialized the pro- 
gram's knowledge base be- 
comes in that particular area. 

The .software consists of 
three applications disks, an 
on-line tutorial, and a refer- 
ence manual that includes 
case histories and suggested 
approaches to applications. 
The first of the three applica- 
tions disks sets up the soft- 
ware according to the user’s 
particular situation: the sec- 
ond disk updates the pro- 
gram's knowledge base, and 
the third generates action re- 
ports. 

Also included in the Trig- 
ger package is a computer- 
based training program. 
Managing By Exception, 
which provides background 
on the managerial principles 
upon which the software is 
based. 

(List Price: $495) 

Requires: I28K RAM. two 
360K drives. PC-DOS 2.0, 
printer, 

Thoughtware, Inc. 

2699 S. Bay. shore Dr. 
Coconut Grove. FL 33133 
(800)848-9273 
(305)854-2318 

CIRCLE 649 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 



318 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II, 1985 


SOFTWARE 


Text-to-Speech:88 
A program that translates 
unrestricted English text, 
generated by another pro- 
gram or typed from the key- 
board. directly into speech. 
Text-to-Speech:88 is de- 
signed to be used with 
speech synthesizer boards 
using the SSi-263 synthesiz- 
er chip and can be accessed 
from BASIC or other pro- 
gramming languages. 

It is compatible with the 
Sonix:88 operating system 
and Phonetic Speech Editor 
program, available either as 
separate programs from 
Artie Technologies or as 
part of a package with 
the SynPhonix 200 Speech 
Synthesizer Board. All 
three programs can. with 
modifications, be made 
to work with other 8088- 
based. SS-263 compatible 
products. 

Among the features of- 
fered by Text-to-Speech:88 
is the ability to handle 
user-defined Exception 
Tables. Words that are 
frequently mispronounced 


by the software can be 
manually programmed and 
stored on these Tables, 
which will then over- 
ride the software’s trans- 
lation rules. 

(List Price: As part of the 
SynPhonix 200 package. 
$195: program alone, $50) 
Requires: 64K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS, SSi- 
263 based board. 

Artie Technologies 
2234 Star Ct. 

Auburn Hgts., Ml 48057 
(313)852-8344 

CIRCLE 636 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Vocabulary Prompter 
An educational program 
for developing vocabulary 
skills. Vocabulary Prompter 
allows the user to deve- 
lop work files (called 
Prompts) consisting of 
words, phrases, defini- 
tions or questions for 
any subject or course 
of study. The user can 
study or test himself with the 
work file Prompts through a 
randomized challenge/ 


response method of 
presentation. 

The IBM PC version of 
this program takes advan- 
tage of the IBM character 
set, permitting words with 
diacritical marks such as the 
umlaut, tilde, cedilla, cir- 
cumflex, and left and right 
accents to be included in the 
work files. 

(List Price: $39.95) 
Requires: I28K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS 2.x. 
Jagdstaffe! Software 
645 Brenda Lee Dr. 

San Jose. CA 95123 
(408)578-1643 

CIRCLE 635 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Cambridge Spreadsheet 
Analyst 

Enhancement software for 
Lotus's 1-2-3, allowing the 
user to validate worksheet 
models and locate errors in a 
model’s logic. The Cam- 
bridge Spreadsheet Analyst 
can also scan a worksheet 
for over a dozen conditions 
likely to indicate problems. 

Two interactive modules 
allow the user to examine the 
assumptions behind a 1-2-3 
model. The cross reference 
function, XREF, shows 
both where and how a given 
cell, range, or 1-2-3 func- 
tion is used. An interactive 
PROBE capability permits 
the user to explore the net- 
work of cells that affect a 
particular formula. 

Cambridge Spreadsheet 
Analyst works directly with 
1-2-3 files and uses a similar 
command structure. Other 
features of the software in- 
clude a context-sensitive 
help facility and a single-key 
print function. 



Cambridge Spreadsheet Analyst, 
Cambridge Software Collaborative 


(List Price: $95) 

Requires: 192KRAM,two 
diskdrives, PC-DOS. 

The Cambridge Software 
Collaborative 
56 Garden St. 

Cambridge, MA 02138 
(800)343-0663. ext. 4200 
(800)322-1238 in Mass. 

CIRCLE 634 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

JournaLog 

A personal librarian pro- 
gram, allowing users to cata- 
log their magazines, 
periodicals, and other refer- 
ence material on disk. Li- 
brary files created under 
JournalMg can be searched 
by title, author, journal, 
date, or keyword. Selected 
abstracts can be displayed on 
the screen, printed, or cop- 
ied to a new file. Entries can 
also be sorted by either au- 
thor or date. 

(List Price: $49.95. plus $2 
shipping & handling) 
Requires: 64K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS. 
Molecular Software 
9I5LindbergRd. 

W. Lafayette. IN 47906 
(317)463-6541 

CIRCLE 633 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 



Text~t<hSpeech:S8, Artie Technologies 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 


319 



( oiitact us fur other lou prices on harUimre anti soflu are. 

Neil Day Air litre 


FREE SHIPPING 

NO SURCHARGE FOR B OR @ 


conuwi' 


Call for latest prices. 


comMor 


3S«K, 1/9«0Kdriw, 

10 HU9 lirtMiial 

FuAciionaJ cquivatent 
10 a CooBpaq Plus.* 

$269S 


Now using sbock-mouoted Wlocbester drives. The same 
as used la the Compaq Plus”. Also available with 2 half* 
height drives and 10 MEG RD-12895. 

Or upgrade your Compaq to a Compaq Plus” equivalent with 
DOT 3H" sfaock-monoted Wlocbesttr t^k kit I^udes Hard 
Disk, CoatroUer, Cables, Manual, strftware, and Mounting 
Hardware. One year warranty. 



$695 


ft smtpty worto Oerter 






$3695 

lodudcs Mofliior 

640K,0M360KDriw, 
Om 10 M«g lattnNil 
Herd Drive 

‘ hweOacInpUnH. 

WMi SOMef leleiiial Hard Driw-$3841 
WHIiMM«tialenNdHaidDiive-$4341 
WMi 44 Mei litomal Hold Dilve>$4741 



CALL 


10, 20, 33 AND 44 MEG INTHHIAL AND 
EXTERNAL HARD DISK SYSTEMS 


• •• Uicroscience 

• O • International 
••• Corporation, 




10 MIG 

20 MEG 

33 MEG 

44 MEG 

Brand of Hard Disk 

Mlcnsdcacc 

tHatfHdahl) 

MkroscleiKe 

(HaHHciebi) 

todilBC 

Itodiac 

Internal 

$549 

$695 

$1195 

$1595 

External 

$749 

$895 

$1295 

$1695 


R9DIME' 



Exteraalf owoiHcd whb lodcpeodeol power svp^y tod bn. Folly DOS 2.1 or 3.0 compatible. Both Interaals and Eiteraals boot from 
Hard Disk. 33 and 42 Meg iMernal Disks laclu^ eiteader power supply. The system comes complete and ready to install with the Hard 
Disk, CootroUer, Cables, Manual, Software, and Mounting Hardware. One Year Warranty. 

10 Meg Hard Disk is mllabk with Dnal-Punctlea Contfotkr. for addkioiul 175. 


PARADISE 

You can measure U. 

Paradise Modular Graphics Card" 1269 
Paradise Modular A Parallel Pon 169 
Paradise Modular B64-2S6K/aock S209 


0Hayes 


Hayes Smartmodem 1200" S419 

Hayes Smartmodem UDOB" S369 

SMrwoSew ItOO tad 12001 SR 
mdeaurfct of Hare* HkrocewpeKf ftodoe tt . toe 


IBM PC AF PRODUCTS 


128KRAM..$89 

P I 20MEG Internal Hard Disk $649 
M 32 MEG Intcmal Hard Disk $995 


AH 


F«Uy c<MpaiM« •Itk tSM H. AT*. DM < MVoltrr OOt ) • iw 5. t 

tan It I indruark of lu Cocy Tbcse are high-performance disk drives, well-suited for the AT'^* 


WORDSTAR 


B BORUVK)* 

INTERNATIONAL 

DM Explorer CAU «Mddi Hpwtny TatkaTMtwx 

sssg a riy j y^* mh-sssss 

PfoAeyt.O 179 tut, Nlldw/IOIt »■«»»■« l«M«MNdiw/iM7 

Sideways 139 UUroRnKUl 

I^TlUnktank tll9 



Wordsar 2000 ... (269 ||i|_ 

Wordstar 20004 . .$319 ^erpPi«« 




ACCEPT NO 
SUBSTITUTES. 


iimiy 

^ fVIAGNF TICS 



TAPE BACKUP SYSTEM 

$595 

•KilfHeiflil *10.5) Nr« 

• Low Power Fumailcd (.apacity 

• I’m Floppy * lacd in Conpaq 
Coalrollcr Card Orakpro ** 

OigiMIA 

m an OKI AMCmCA ean«OTy 

92- $369 

93- $569 
84-$659 

IncItMka Plug-n-Play 

HARDWARE 

MrAd«aiitag«w/ia8K $409 

Kmuira Color Card IPS 

Hmule* Oraphin Card w/Panlltl 1349 

PGSHX-12 14-^ 

P&SHAX-I2 H*»9 

Krytmk $131 Keyboard 1189 

INTEL 8087 
Math Co>procassor 

$99 


Call us for competitive prices on 
larger quantities of RAM chips. 

^ 4r # r # # 0 


64KRAM 

>•1 of 9 cMpSf too or I $U NaitomiM 

guali«ir« M I <9 <rl> 

$14.- 

OolKlilK.ol i;waiair«<4 

$i2;:'., $107.'. 


256KRAM 

SetoiOdiaai $69 


SOLVE YOUR POWER PROBLEM. 

xr POWER 135W 

$109 


Fully XT’* cumpaiiblr. 

One Year Warranty. 

Directly replaces power supply in PC." 


EPSON PRINTERS 


LX-80 

FX-80<i> 



FX-100+ $559 
LQ-1500 $975 


Norton Ulililios— 



$99 


DISK DRIVES 

4#^ MITSUBISHI 

(Japan's Best) 

) Half-Height, DS/DD 

$89 


TANDON 

TM 100>2, 

Full-Height, DS/DD 

$109 
TEAC PANASONIC 

$99 AT" 


Compatible 




AST SixPok Plus 

w/64K$249 
W/384K $319 


-'Upgradable to 384K —Parallel Pon 

— Oodt Calendar —Software included 

—Serial Port —One Year Warranty 


iDi 


PC'S LIMITED 


a :: 


OUTSIDE TEXAS, ORDERS ONLY, CAU 1-800-IBM-5150 
7801 N. UniEv, #E-200, AmliEi, Taxos 78752 
all calls for te^ieol support and inside Tom^ ' 

call (512) 452-0323. 


T*i« N*. tisasosas* rc in 



I ambw ISII 


CIRCLE 364 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



SOFTWARE 




MP 

Mathematical programming 
software consisting of five 
systems for solving linear and 
quadratic programming prob- 
lems, linear complementarity 
problems, bimatrix games, 
and fixed-point problems. 
Each of MP\ five compo- 
nents can be used singly or as 
part of a larger integrated sys- 
tem, with complete sharing of 
data between components. 
(List Price: $I 70) 

Requires: l92KRAM,one 
disk drive, PC-DOS 2.jt. 

Sci Computing 
1 1 67 Wilmette Ave. 

Wilmette. IL 60091 
(312)251-6657 

CIRCLE 632 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Pro Type 

A memory-resident program 
providing instant access to 
an on-line printer. The pro- 
gram can work with any type 
or model of printer compati- 
ble with the IBM PC, includ- 
ing dot matrix, daisywheel, 
inkjet, laser, and others. 
Using windows. Pro Type 
allows the user to start 
its print functions with- 
out interrupting an appli- 
cation that may be run- 
ning concurrently. 

The menu-driven soft- 
ware includes the following 
operations: 

• Typewriter Mode — 

The printer accepts input on a 
line-by-line basis. This mode 
is useful for preparing enve- 
lopes and filling forms. 

• Composition Mode — A 
built-in text editor for com- 
posing short letters or 
memos with common word 
processing commands. A 
single keystroke allows 


Pro Type, Photon Software Div . , CARE Computer Systems, Inc. 


text to be printed when 
ready. 

• Cut & Paste — Selected 
text from an applications 
program can be inserted into 
a Pro Type edit mode screen 
for quick printing. 

• Forms Mode — 

Provides menu access to 
user-formatted report 
forms. 

• Font Mode — Provides 
menu selection of what- 
ever print characteris- 
tics the user’s printer 
supports. 

(List Price: $119.95) 
Requires: 64K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS, 
printer. 

Photon Software Div. 

CARE Computer 
Systems, Inc. 

P.O. Box 1408 
Bellevue, WA 98009 
(800)426-2675 
(206)451-8272 

CIRCLE 631 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


Concepts 

Computerized Atlas 
An on-disk atlas permitting 
the user to display the world 
globe in 3-D perspective and 
four colors. Function keys 
can call up data on any se- 
lected portion of the dis- 
played globe including size, 
language, population, lati- 
tude, longitude, and the 
distance between two 
points. 

The program offers sever- 
al means of locating any 
point on the globe. The user 
can use the cursor keys to 
control the cursor’s position 
directly, or simply type the 
name of the city or country. 
For more detail. Concepts 
Computerized Atlas in- 
cludes a zoom mode, per- 
mitting a specified area 
to be enlarged on- 
screen. 

The program displays 
geopolitical divisions for all 
water and land masses; lon- 


gitude and latitude of the 
cursor is displayed at the 
bottom of the screen. 

(List Price: $69.95) 
Requires: I28K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS 2.x. 
Software Concepts, Inc. 
1116 Summer St. 

Stamford, CT 06905 
(203)357-0522 


CIRCLE 630 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


Concepts Computerized Atlas, 
Software Concepts. Inc. 


322 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


HANDS OFF COMPUTING. 



THE FIRST $2jn0 SPEECH SYSTEM FOR ONLY $459. 

Introducing AudoPilof" — the complete voice interface system 
for use with the IBM* PC, XT. and compatibles. We call it 
"hands-ofr* computing. With AudoPilot, your IBM can respond 
to voice commands, making all your applications faster and 
easier to use. 

AudoPilot” works with Lotus 1-2-3.” VisiCalc,* Multiplan.” 
pfs,” MultiMate,” and probably all the software you own. and 
interfaces with a mouse, giving you total control over your 
system. Other features include voice controlled auto-dialing 
with a Hayes* modem, voice mail capabilities, and a computer 
controlled voice storage and playback. 

The system installs in under two minutes and saves you 
hundreds of hours. Best of all. this complete speech system 
sells for only $459! 

Discover AudoPilot and “hands-ofr* computing. It’s something 
to talk about. 


AUDO 

PILOT 

VaMaACTIMTB 


Dralrr and DmnbulOT inquirm mviwd 
AudaPitol. Sif Walt Whitman Rd . Hunlu<(lon. NY 


CIRCLE 108 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


Copies everything 




Our monthly trade-in 
plon guarantees you can 
always copy everything! 

Personal Copier makes sure you’re always 
up-to-date with the new and everchang- 
ing protection methods. You won’t find an 
easier system It’s fully automatic with 
easy-to-use two-step graphic screen 
instructions Anyone can 
use it every IBM PC user 
should have one. Order 
If ■I your F^rsonal Copier today. 

TM S39.95 plus $3.00 shipping 
and handling 


from 


uiMitkn 

RO. Box 162 • Wasco. IL 60183 

312 / 365-2803 





Will you be 

playing Russian Roulette 
with your next 
important buying decision? 

Turn to DATA DECISIONS when 
youVe under the gun. 



CIRCLE 340 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1. 1985 


323 





SOFTWARE • ACCESSORIES 


CARD 

A greeting card design pro- 
gram providing the tools to 
draw ASCII character 
graphics on the front or 
back of a card, with cither 
text or graphics on the inner 
faces. Card designs can be 
printed immediately or 
saved to disk for later re- 
editing. 

Written in BASICA, 
card's user-supported 
menus are simple enough for 
children to use. CARD uses 
text graphics and does not 
require a special 
color/graphics adapter. 

(List Price: Free— Send a 
self-addressed disk mailer 
and disketle for a copy) 
Requires: 32K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS, 
BASICA. 

Smith-Reed Software 
P.O. Box 909 
Minneapolis. MN 55440 
(612)874-7794 

CIRCLE 648 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Action Diagrammer 
A program editor that 
graphically represents the 
actions a program under- 
takes as a hierarchy of 
bracketed blocks. Unlike 
other diagramming sys- 
tems , Action Diagrammer 
can present a high-level 
overview of a program un- 
der development and can 
progressively decompose 
this representation down to 
the level of executable 
code. 

Action Diagrammer auto- 
matically supplies control 
structure syntax in English, 
COBOL, PL/I, FORTRAN, 
C, Pascal, and many fourth- 
generation languages such as 


FOCUS, RAMIS, and 
ADS/O. The resultant stan- 
dardized program diagrams 
simplify maintenance of de- 
veloped software by graphi- 
cally depicting consequen- 
tial effects of proposed 
changes. 

(List Price: $495: demo 
disk, $25) 

Requires: 256K RAM, two 
disk drives, PC-DOS 2.x. 
Database Design Inc. 

2020 Hogback Rd. 

Ann Arbor. Ml 48104 
(313)971-5363 

CIRCLE 647 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

PC-TRIVIA 

A game program featuring 
over 500 questions about 
the IBM ft. One to four 
players roll an electronic 
die, move their pieces 
across the projected game 
board, and answer ques- 
tions about the PC's hard- 
ware and software, as well 
as about people in the mi- 
crocomputer industry. 

(List Price: $29) 

Requires: 64K RAM, one 
disk drive, PC-DOS. 


Stillwell Software Products 
16403 N.43rdDr. 
Glendale. AZ 85306 
(602) 978-4678 

CIRCLE 646 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


ACCESSORIES 

AMARI Furniture Series 
Hickory-finished furniture 
featuring contemporary 
styling, brass hardware ac- 
cents, and interchangeable 
components. 

The AMARI desk, mod- 
el 5770, offers three desk 
drawers and a beveled front 
edge designed for comfort- 
able use of a computer key- 
board, The matching stor- 
age hutch, model 5775, 
features a monitor compart- 
ment, a lockable tambour- 
style cabinet, and two stor- 
age shelves. 

(List Price: Desk, $299.95; 
Hutch. $149.95) 
GusdoifCorp. 

1 1440 Lackland Rd. 

St. Louis. MO 63 146 

CIRCLE 637 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


IBM-Style Binders 

A line of blank binders and 
slip cases identical to those 
u,sed by IBM and other soft- 
ware producers. Binders and 
slip cases are available in 
three thicknesses: 1-inch, 

1 i^-inch, and I !4-inch. Each 
has the same offset “D” 
rings and cloth Finish 
used for IBM’s PC docu- 
mentation. 

The minimum order for a 
binder/slip case combination 
is five sets; price reductions 
are set at orders of 24, 97, 
240, 500, 750, and 1 ,000 
sets. 

(List Price: ! '4-inch 
Binder/SlipCase, $9.95 
each) 

International Disk 
7246 Remmet Ave . , #101 
Canoga Pk.,CA 91303 
(818)992-0514 
(818) 704-6518 

CIRCLE 645 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

RA-Markable Labels 
Erasable/reusable labels for 
floppy disks and video cas- 
settes. Tbe labels can be 
continuously reused without 
removal. 

Specially inked pens with 
either permanent or 
erasable/washable inks are 
also available. RA- 
Markable Labels come in 
packages of Five, sized to Fit 
floppy disks. 

(List Price: Labels, $4.99; 
Washable Pen, $.99) 
RA-Markable Labeling 
Systems 

P.O. Box 17684 
9359 N. Lake Dr. 

Milwaukee, W! 53217 
(414)351-3379 

CIRCLE 644 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 



RA-Markable Labels, RA -Markable Labeling Systems 


324 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11, 1985 


When You Want The Best, Call... 

ThbSinc. 

National Business Software and Supplies 

ORDER LINE 800-225-8800 I 


IBM PC SOFTWARE 


VOLKSWRITER DELUXE S1S4 

SUPERCALC III 

$215 

RBASE4(XX) 

274 

WORDPERFECT 

229 

LOTUS 

289 

SIDEKICK 

30 

SYMPHONY 

409 

FLIGHT SIMULATOR 

30 

WORDSTAR 2000 

263 

NORTON UTILITIES 

59 

WORDSTAR 2000-1^ 

289 

PRO KEY 3.0 

79 

MULTIPLAN 

118 

TRIVIA FEVER 

30 


MODEMS 


HAYES 1200 

S399 

HAYES 1200 B 

$359 


MISC. 


AST6PAK 

S259 

CHIPS 64 K SET 

$25 

TEAC55-B DRIVE 

$129 

PRINTWHEELS & 




RIBBONS 

CALL 


TWO LOCATIONS: 


500 W. Broadwa 

y, Suite 116 

P.O. Box 23. 


Tempe, AZ I 

65282 

Painesville, OH 44077 

(602)966-8005 

(216)352-1262 


Monday-Friday 8am-5pm VISA & MasterCard Welcome 

No cash rotunds— all sales final. 20% restocking fee. Add $5 lor credit card 
purchases. AZ residents add 6%. Prices subieci to change, product subject to 
availability. Allow two weeks for persorral/company checks to clear. All items are 
new with manufacturer's warranty. Software not warranted for suitability of pur- 
pose. Shippirtg af>d hat>dlir>g add SS per order. Minimum order $S0. 


CIRCLE 105 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




HIGH RELIABILITY 

Every track of every ■ HEAVY DUTY FLOPPY DISKS 

floppy disk Is 

guaranteed to be FUJI... The World’* 

error-tree ^ .A Loading Manufaeturor 
ol HHagnatlc 
Recording Product* 

DISKETTES FOR MICROS, 
MINIS, AND MAIN FRAMES. 

UFETtME WARRANTY 
5%-lnch Floppy Diskettes with Hub Rings 

Per Diskette. 10/Box 

MDIO-Single Sided. Double Density $1.39 

MD2D-0ouble Sided. Double Density $1.79 

8-inch Floppy Diskettes 

FD1 S-Single Sided, Single Density $2.20 

FD2D*Double Sided, Double Density $2.80 

Also available In 256. 512. and 1024 Fonnats 

Bulk Dlskettos available at avan greater savings! 

UicNgan residenis. add 4% sales fax. C.0.0. Add S2.00. PIDnCD 

Minimum order SO diskattas. Add 10% ter ordars tmdar minimum LJirL^Cr^ 

QoanWfy. Shipping A Handling S3.00/f00. TOLL-FREE 

H ll Precision Data Products'” fVinWI 

I PO Box 8367 INUVV. 

II Grar>d Rapids. Ml 49506 
I Outside U.$.A. (616) 452-3457 
I Michigan 1-600-632-2468 

II Outside Michigan 1-800-2S8-0028 ^ C.O.D. 

CIRCLE 123 ON READER SERVICE CARD 
PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1985 




\i^llyoube 
making your next 
important buying decision 
in the dark? 

Shed light on the sulgect 
with DATA DECISIONS. 


Contemporary 

ComputerWear 



Attire your IBM PC in Style! 
ComputerWear— Beige. 100% cotton 
canvas covers with grey trim and embroidered 
emblem. Order Now! Satisfaction guaranteed. 
Custom logo in quantity. 


□ Yes, protect my PC in style! Send me: 


Keyboard $16 

Monitor $18 

Drive $18 

1 pc Mon/Drive $36 

Printer (Epson MX/FX-80 $18 

Okidata 82. 92) 


Print Name . 
Address 

City/State 

Credit Card 4 


Printer (Epson FX-KX), $20 

NEC P3. Okidata 83. 93) 
Printer (NEC 3550) $20 

□ Visa □ MC □ Check 

Add $2.00 Shipping. Total: 

(California residents add tax) 


Zip. 

Exp. 


Contemporary ComputerWear ah: em 

1320-36ih Ave. / San Francisco, CA 94122 / (415) 759-1466 
IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corp- Dealer inquiries (nviied. PC-AT covers available. 
CIRCLE 121 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


325 




ACCESSORIES • PUBLICATIONS • SERVICES 


DATAGUARD 
A telephone line attach- 
ment providing modem us- 
ers with a secured, 
uninterruptable phone line 
for data transfers. 
DATAGUARD attaches 
easily to the user's existing 
phone line and does not re- 
quire a separate power sup- 
ply or on/off switch. In use, 
the device prevents inter- 
ruptions to a modem link by 
other phones that may be 
sharing the same line. 

DATAGUARD comes in 
two models: an In-Phone 
model, which is installed 
inside the user's phone, 
and a 12-foot Snap-in- 
Cord model that replaces 
the existing phone 
cord. 

(List Price: $39.95) 

Control Industries 
Box 6292 
Bend. OR 97708 
1503)389-1969 

CIRCLE 643 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


PUBLICATIONS 



Ready to Run Accounting, 
AlfredPubl. Co., Inc. 


Ready to Run Accounting 
A book/software package 
providing a series of tem- 
plates and macros for Lo- 
tus's 1-2-3 and Symphony 
programs. Materials includ- 
ed with Ready to Run Ac- 
counting with Lotus 1-2-3 
and Symphony enable the 
reader to use these programs 
for such accounting applica- 
tions as billing, cash dis- 
bursements and receipts, ac- 
counts payable, and 
accounts receivable. 

(List Price: $49.95) 
Requires: 1-2-3, I92K 
RAM, Symphony, 320K; 
two disk drives, PC-DOS. 
Alfred Pub!. Co., Inc. 

15335 Morrison St. 
P.O.Box 5964 
Sherman Oaks, CA 9141 3 
(818)995-8811 

CIRCLE 642 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

Federal Data Base Finder 
A guide describing over 
3,000 on-line databases 
maintained by the federal 
government, accessible ei- 
ther free or at minimal cost. 
Listed databases are grouped 
into 20 categories including 
health, education, demo- 
graphics, energy, finance, 
economic indicators, and 
general business. 

(List Price: $95) 

Information USA 
1 2400 Beall Mt, Rd. 
Potomac, MD 20854 
(301)983-8220 

CIRCLE 641 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

NCDA Official New and 
Used Computer Price 
Guide 

A price guide, compiled 
quarterly by the National 


Computer Dealers' Associ- 
ation (NCDA), to buying 
and selling computer 
equipment, peripherals, 
and computer software. 

Similar in concept to the 
“blue books” used in the 
automotive industry, the 
NCDA Official New and 
Used Computer Price Guide 
shows prices for each item 
in six categories: suggested 
list price, actual selling 
prices in four regions of the 
U.S., and average used 
selling price. Prices listed 
in the small-sized paper- 
back are based on actual 
recorded “sold for” 
prices, not “asking" 
prices. 

(Cover Price: $12.95: 
One-Year Subscription, $34) 
MBA Services Marketing 
Group 

10555 NW Freeway, fr240 
Houston, TX 77092 
(713)956-9920 

CIRCLE 640 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


SERVICES 


Software Locators 
A service providing soft- 
ware recommendations 
based upon needs outlined 
by the user. The user sim- 
ply calls the service's hot 
line and defines what he 
wants an application to do. 
Software Locators then 
prepares and mails a Cus- 
tom Locator Report list- 
ing available software 
that meets the stated 
requirements. 

Included with each Cus- 
tom Locator Report is all the 
product literature for the list- 
ed applications. 


(Each Report: $19.95) 
Software Locators 
1905 E.nthSt., #317 
Santa Ana, CA 92701 
(800)824-7240 
(800)257-3800 in Calif 
(714)835-1779 

CIRCLE 639 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 

The Unlisted Market 
Guide Database 
An on-line version of The 
Unlisted Market Guide, pro- 
viding prospective investors 
with information on over 
1 ,500 companies whose 
stock is traded over-the- 
counter. Information on 
most of the companies in- 
cluded in the database can- 
not readily be found else- 
where. 

The service adds about 
SO new companies to the 
database each week. For 
many of these companies, a 
listing on The Unlisted Mar- 
ket Guide database is the 
first time they have been 
brought to the notice 
of the investment 
community. 

A hardcopy version of 
The Unlisted Market Guide 
is also available, published 
as a two-volume set of three- 
ring notebooks, to which the 
user can add both weekly 
listings and quarterly up- 
dates. 

(Annual Subscription: $195; 
three-month trial subscrip- 
tion, $59) 

The Unlisted Market 
Guide Corp. 

30 Glen Head Rd. 

Glen Head, NY U 545 

(800)642-3840 

(516)759-1253 

CIRCLE 638 ON 
READER SERVICE CARD 


326 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE II. 1983 


Oeative Computing 
Press 

Desktop 
Graphics 
for the 
IBM PC 


DEBTOR GRAPHICS 

-IBM PC 
■ ■ ■ 



ByCorey Sandler, 0 1/2" x 1 1 ", softcover, 1 92 pages. 

This comprehensive volume covers all aspects of bus- 
iness graphics for the IBM PC. The easy-to-understand tutorial 
approach discusses statistics, smoothing, correlation and 
regression analysis, and how to design your own graph. It 
covers the hardware Including graphics boards, monitors, 
plotters, and printers. It also shows exactly how to take photos 
and slides from the screen. 

Chapter 9 Is devoted to selecting appropriate commercial 
software packages, and the next four chapters discuss in 
detail how to make the most out of four popular packages. 
The books include an extensive glossary of terms and a list of 
manufacturers of graphics products. 

Desktop Graphics tor the IBM PC lists for $14.95 plus 
$2.00 for shipping and handling. However, fora limited time, 
we are selling the book for just $1 2.00 postpaid. To get your 
29% discount, send $12.00 to Creative Computing Press, 
Morris Plains, NJ 07g50. Visa. MasterCard, and American 
Express orders may be called In toll-free to 800-031 -81 1 2 (in 
NJ 201-540-0445). No orders can be billed. NI7Q 



Will you be 
taking chances with 
your next important 
buying decision? 

shift the odds in your favor 
with DATA DECISIONS. 





The publisher of PC. PCjr., PC TECH JOURNAL 
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BUYERS GUIDE is the quickest and most reliable 
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Mail the enclosed coupon today to order your 
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EXPANDS 

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Nee or lOditional eommonils can be wobed ID your PC keytops m mnules 
wilti Hooloon Touetidown'’ Kff Ovtrliys Clanbes commands tor imptowd 
accuracy ed effici ency OuaMy non-{)ln matend similar to original keytops 
has commands printed on the mside lot 
durabrlity Peel-ofI adhesive badong pre- 
I movemeni under heavy use can 

^ prbduce Custom Key ovntays to your eaact 
speotications Toucfidom’' Keytofi Ex- 
pmftfs also availiM to cover and enlarge 
I COA/V^^iSiY ^ ^ ^ command keys 
P. 0. Bom 201. Dept. PC. ComvHle. AZ $$325 


K£Y OVERLAYS 

S250/S?51 (48 keylops/bonb) 

82196 

»70 (« kffylnrR) 

2895 

Onplay Wine ? (36 keylocn) 

2195 

Ovon*(43k8»lops) 

26 95 

Wvrtflaf (PO tofyiryK) 

2696 

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696 

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2196 

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CIRCLE 161 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


FORTRAN 

FOR MICRO’S? YES! 

Even dedicated scientific and engineer- 
ing FORTRAN users have thought 
available FORTRAN compilers were lack- 
ing versatility until they found 



NO LIMIT users create highly interactive 
software systems and products using 
new or existing FORTRAN analytical 
codes and NO LIMIT routines for: 

• Communications 

• Stringa/Charecters 

• Files 

• Screen/Keyboard 

• Graphics 

• Program Execution 

And to complement NO LIMIT, the I/O 
PRO development system allows crea- 
tion and editing of FORTRAN/Pascal 
callable screens. This word processor 
type system pays for itself several times 
over on your first project. $261 


To discuss your programming needs call 
(800) 562-9700 
(512) 251-5543 (Texas) 

M I E I F Environmental Inc. 

POBok 26637 Auatln. Tm 767U 


ORCLE 164 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

327 


PC MAGAZINES JUNE ll. 1985 



The stakes are high and 
you can’t anord to gamble 
with pc communications. 

ANNOUNCING 
DATA DEQSIONS’^ 


' -t. 



Micro Communications is 
one of the most technically 
sophisticated DP environ- 
ments there is. It’s also the 
one that affects the most 
people— technical and non- 
technical alike. 

But mastering the tech- 
nology and interconnecting 
the people is your company’s 
key to success with pc’s . . . 

If you’re responsible for 
micros at your organization, 
it’s also the key to success 
at your job. 

PC COMMUNICATIONS is the 
first and only information service 
tliat will take the gamble out of 
your micro communications deci- 
sions and give you a handle on this 
complex new world. 

Hands-on Test Results 

It’s a unique new One-Stop 
Information Source that TESTS 
and EVALUATES all the hardware 
and software products you need to 
link your pc’s to corporate main- 
frames, minis, data services and 
other pc’s. 

Looking for a micro-to-main- 
frame link? We include everything 
from terminal emulation ... to file 
transfer and data conversion ... to 
software products that connect pc’s 
directly to mainframe databases. 

Looking at LANs? We test them 
with single and multiple users . . . 
with diflrerent kinds of users . . . with 
different types of software. 

Want to connect your pc’s to 


online databases— or to each other? 
Live hands-on test results for all the 
products you need to know about 
are here. 

Your One-stop Look-up 

Wh.atever your needs— from 
dial-up modems to protocol con- 


verters to wideband hardwired 
networks— we cover them all . . . 
we test them all . . . and give you 
independent expert evaluations 
you can trust. 

And giving you product infor- 
mation is just the beginning! 



Our testing is done by experts. Data Oeasions 
employs the most capable staff of professional 
micro communicatKxts experts in the information 
service industry— specialists with backgrounds in 
programming, consulting and corporate micro 
use who provide you with the highest level of 
expertise 



Our tests reflect your world. Our test rr>ethodol- 
ogies are develop^ by our experts in consulta- 
tion with prominent ir>dustry leaders, corporate 
DP managers and end users This means that 
each test measures the right factors and reflects 
the conditions you deal with in the real world 



We do hands-on testing. Data Decisions ana- 
lysts never use canned demos. We use our own 
data and we test standalone and LAN products in 
our own labs. Our analysts look at complex inter- 
conr>ecl environments all over the country to pul 
products through their paces while they're up and 
running at outside mainframe sites. 




Analysis of 
Emerging Trends 

The same experts who evaluate 
these products also spot emerging 
trends. They tell you where the new 
micro communications technolo- 
gies are going and how they work . . , 
They also tell you what will matter 
in the long run— and what won’t. 
And because you’ll know what your 
options are at the earliest possible 
date, you won’t have to worry 
that decisions made today will shut 
you off from future products and 
technologies. 

What You Get 

PC COMMUNICATIONS 
comes to you in 3 loose-leaf vol- 
umes which arc updated every 
month to ensure their currentness 
and completeness. 

In them you’ll 
find the results of 
hundreds of 
hands-on tests 
done under consis- 
tent, controlled labo- 
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our specially trained team of micro 
communications experts— experts 
who tell you what each product’s 
strengths and limitations are . . . how 
competing products compare . . . and 
what you can expect when you 
interconnect different products and 
turn them on. 

You’ll also get: 

■ Easy-to-read rating charts that 
show how suitable major hardware 
and software products are for nov- 
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■ Action-oriented technology 
reports that fill you in on industry 
trends. 

■ Concise product profiles that 

MYour telephone consultants are 
just outstanding— a really great group. 

They provide a timely, personal 
response to virtually any 
type of inquiry.** 

Stan Leu. Director of Marketing 
DS Agency, Inc., Lubbock. TX 

show you what’s available— in both 
the U.S. and Canada. 

■ Reliable user ratings that let you 
see how products measure up in 
actual use. 


■ Up-to-the-minute monthly 
newsletters and report updates . . . 
Complete revisions of all product 
reports at least once a year. 

■ A comprehen- 
sive vendor direc- 
tory that also 


letters and free unlimited phone 
consulting— is only S800 plus S25 
shipping and handling... far less 
than you’d have to pay an outside 
consultant for 


"We act as a data resource 
information center for the rest of 
the company so we try to stay 


Your people do a wonderful job on 
the hands-on evaluations. I 
particularly appreciate the way you 
look at a product from a corporate 
standpoint, not just from the technical 
point of view.f^ 

Gerald Nadeau, Systems Analyst 
Analog Devices, Burlington, MA 


includes Canadian abreast of just about everything, 
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The books are 
Just the 
oeginning. 

Along with all 
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We use Data Decisions services 
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on particular products and 
market sectors and find them a 
valuable research tool." 

Stephen Lofgren. Group Manager 
NEC Systems Laboratory, 
Boxborough. MA 


peace of mind this 
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even one of our 
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Data Deci- 
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umes at your leisure in your own 
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20 Brace Road* Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 

□ ^ ■ Please send me Data Decisions 

^ 1 PC(X)MMUNICATIONSforano-purchasc- 

obliganon trial review, I understand that the only charge is a S25 
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□ Although your offer sounds great, i'm still not convinced. Please send me 
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Signature 

Name Title 


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Company- 

Address 

City 

Flione ( — 


-State- 


-Zip- 


What the world really needs 
is a 99 cent 

Double Sided, Doubie Density Diskette 
with a LIFETIME WARRANTY! 


And DISK WORLD! has it. 


Introducing Super Star Diskettes: 
the high quality diskette with 
the lowest price 

and the best LIFETIME WARRANTY! 


in the course of selling more than a million diskettes 
every month, we've learnra something: higher prices don't 
necessarily mean higher quality. 

In fact, we've found that a good diskette manufacturer 
simply manufactures a good diskette. ..no matter what 
they charge for it. (By way of example, consider that none 
of the brands that we carry has a return rate of greater than 
1/I.OOOthof 1 percent!) 

In other words, when people buy a more expensive 
diskette, they aren’t necessarily buying higher quality. 

The extra money might be going toward flashier adver- 
tising. snazzier packaging or simply higher profits. 

But the extra money in a higher price isn't buying better 
quality. 

All of the good manufacturers put out a good diskette. 

Period. 

How to cut diskette prices 
. . .without cutting quality. 

Now this discovery posed a dilemma; how to cut the 
price of diskettes without lowering the quality. 

There are about 85 companies claiming to be ‘diskette' 
manufacturers. 

Trouble is. most of them aren't manufacturers. 

Rather they are fabricators or marketers, taking other 
company's components, possibly doing one or more steps 
of the processing themselves and pasting their labels on 
the finished product. 

The new Eastman Kodak diskettes, for example, are one 
of these. So are IBM 514' diskettes. Same for DYSAN. 
Polaroid and many, many other familiar diskette brand 
names. Each of these disbttes is manufactured in whole 
or in part by another company! 

So, we decided to act just like the big guys. That's how 
we would cut diskette prices... without lowering the 
quality. 

We would go out and find smaller companies to manu- 
facture a diskette to our specifications. ..specifications 
which are higher than most... and simply create our own 
'name brano' diskette. 

Name brand diskettes that offered high quality at low 
prices. 


DISKETTE STORAGE 
CASES 


PERFECTDATADIAL’N FILE 

Temfic! Holds 10 diskettes Just flip 
the lever and they all slide up for easy access 
and identification. Grey with smoked plastic 
front. 

$2.75 Ea. + .35 Shpng. 

DISK CADDIES 

The onanal hip-up holder for 10 5U' 
diskettes Beige or Grey only 

$1.55 ••. + .20 Shpng. 

DISKEHE 70 STORAGE 
Dust-tree storage tor 70 5U' diskettes. 
Six dividers incImM. An excellent value. 

. $11.95 * $3.00 Shpng. 





HOURS: 

Human: 8AM-6PM Central Time, Monday through Friday 
Answering Machine: 6PM-8AM. All Times 
MCI MAIL; 24 hours a day. 


Super Star diskettes are sold in multiples of 50 only. Diskettes are 
shipped with white Tyvec sleeves, reinforced hubs, user 10 labels 
ana write-protect tabs. 

Boy, did we get lucky. Our Super Star 
Diskettes are the same ones ycm've been 
using for years. . .without knowing it 

In our search for the low priced, high quality diskette of 
our dreams, we found something even more interesting. 

We found that there are several manufacturers who 
don't give a hoot about the consumer market for their 
diskettes. They don't spend millions of dollars in advertis- 
ing trying to get you. the computer user, to use their 
diskettes. 

Instead, they concentrate their efforts on turning outthe 
highest quality diskettes they can.. .because they sell 
them to the software publishers, computer manufacturers 
and other folks who (in turn) put their name on them. . .and 
sell them for much higher prices to you! 

After all. when a software publisher or computer manu- 
facturer or diskette marketer puts their name on a diskette, 
they want it to work time after time, everytime. (Especially 
software publishers who have the nasty habit of copy- 
protecting their originals!) 


HOW TO ORDER: 


ORDERS ONLY; 
1-500-621-5827 
(Inlllinoir 1-312-944-27e$) 
INOUIRIES; 

1-312'944-2768 

FOR FASTEST SERVICE. USE NO-COST MCI MAIL: 
Our address is OISKWORLD. It's a FREE MCI MAIL 
tetter. No charge to you. (Situation permitting, we'll 
ship these orders in 24 hours or less.) 

SHIPPING: 514’ & 3V OISKEHES— Add S3.00 per each 
too or fewer diskeRes. OTHER ITEIlllS: Add shippingcharges 
as shown in addition to other shipping charges. MYMENT; 
VISA. MASTERCARD and Prepaid orders accepted. COD OR- 
DERS: Add addibonai $3.00 special handling charge. APO. 
FPO. AK. HI I PR ORDERS: Include shipping charges as 
shown and additional 5% of total order amount to cover ML 


and insurance. We ship onMo United States addresses, exo 
lor those listed abow. TAXES; Illinois residents, add C 
sales tax. 

MINIMUM ORDER: $35.00 Or 20 diskettes 


DISK WORLD!, Inc. 


Super Star Diskettes. You already know 
how good they are. Now you can buy 
them... cheap. 

Well, that's the story. 

Super Star diskettes don't roll off the boat from Pago- 
Pago or emerge from a basement plant just east of 
Nowhere. 

Super Star diskettes have been around for years ... and 
you've used them for years as copy-protected software 
originals, unprotected originals. Sometimes, depending 
on which computer you own. the system master may have 
been on a Super Star diskette. And maybe more than once, 
you've bought a box or two or more of Super Star diskettes 
without knowing it. They just had some 'big' company's 
name on them. 

Super Star Diskettes are good. So good that a lot of 
major software publishers, computer manufacturers and 
other diskette marketers buy them in the tens or hundreds 
of thousands. 

We buy them in the millions. 

And than we sell them to you. 

Cheap. 

When every littie bit counts, 
it's Super Star Diskettes. 

You've used them a hundred times... under different 
names. 

Now. you can buy the real McCoy, the same diskette that 
major software publishers, computer manufacturers and 
diskette marketers buy. , and call th«ir own. 

We simply charge less. 


Super Special! 


Order 50 Super Star Diskettes 
and we'll be happy to sell you an 
Amaray Media-Mate 50 for only 
$8.75. shipping included., a lot 
less than the suggested retail price 
of $15.95. 




Regular DISK WORLDI price: $10.95 ea. 
+ $2.00 Shpng. 


The Super Star 
LIFETIME WARRANTY! 


Super Star Diskettes are unconditionally warranted 
against defects in original material and workmanship 
so long as owned by the original purchaser. Returns 
are simple: just send the defective diskettes with proof 
of purchase, postage-paid by you with a short expla- 
nation of the problem, and we'll send you the replace- 
ments. (Incidentally, coffee stained diskettes and 
diskettes with staples driven through them don't 
qualify as 'defective'.) 


WE WILL MEET OR BEAT ANY NATIONALLY 
ADVERTISED PRICE 

ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES 
SUBJECT TO THE SAME TERMS AND CONDITIONS. 


Suite 4806 
30 East Huron Street 
Chicago, Illinois 60611 


CIRCLE 244 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




PC BlueBook 


Rates and Information 


PC: BlueBook is a high-response, low-cost source for 
advertising in the fastest growing computer market in 
the world. Advertisers choose between set categories and 
may include a logo. Display advertisers may cross-ref- 
erence to their current display ad. 


Circulation: 250,000 Paid Circulation Rate Base. 
Readership: 750,000 Est. 


AD STYLE 


1 line Heading (25 characters maximum). 7 lines Body 
Copy (45 characters per line). 4 lines for Company name, 
address and telephone. 


RATES 


Per Issue: $200. Additional Lines: $20 per line. Logos: 
$125 per issue. Minimum Order: 4 times within 6 
issues period. Terms: Prepayment is required. Check, 
money order, American Express, VISA or MasterCard 
are accepted. 


DEADLINES 


May 30th for the August 6 issue, on sale July 16. Send 
your ad and prepayment to: PC BlueBook, Classified 
Advertising, 12th Floor, One Park Avenue, New York, 
NY 10016. Advertising sales: (212) 503-5 115. Customer 
service: (212) 503-4506 


ACCESSORIES 


SUPPLIES 


TPS AUTHORIZED IBM 
DISTRIBUTOR 

• IBM brand supplies available at prices LESS 
than IBM direct sales 

• Orders processed within 24 hours 

• Call H600) 822-91 50 (toll free) 

• Michigan (313) 822-9150 

• VISA/MASTERCARD accepted 

• Generic supplies also available 
TPS TOTAL PRODUCT SUPPUER 
15000 Charlevoix 

Grosse Pointe Park, Ml 46230 

Vlitard and Data Processing Specialists since 1956 


KEYTOPS/KEY OVERLAYS 

Touchdown^ full-size ke/tops enlarge major 
control keys on ISM and most compalibies: state 
model and color; black or IBM grey. S21.95. 
Touchdown’' key overlays available for 5251. 
5520, Displaywrite 2, Wordstar. Lotus 1-2-3 and 
most popular software, plus do-it-yourself kits. 
$6.95^.95. US orders postpaid. 
HOOLEONCO, DEPT.B8 
PO. Box 201 
Comvilie.AZ 86325 
(602)634-7517 

LOW PRICED RIBBONS/DISKS 

New Epson MX-80 Ribbon Cartridges $4.95 
Each 

BASF SVk SS/DO Diskettes lO/Box $17.95/Bax 
BASF 5% DS/DD Diskettes 10/Box $19.95/Box 
31^ X 15/16 SeH-Sbck Labels $3.00/1000 
Add $2.50 postage & handling for aA orders. We 
accept Visa, MC & checks. NO MNIMUMI! GA 
residents add 3% tax— Write or cal— 

RAPID RESOURCES 
PO Box 21 61 
Norcross, Georgia 30091 
(404)441-0722 


SHCn FEEDERS QALOREI 

Reliable, easy to use Ziyad sheet teeders tor most 
popular printers (these and others); 

Juki 6100 and Anadex 6000/6500 $395 

Daisy writer 2000, Dataproducts 55. Toshiba 
1351, Qtmt Sprint 7-11, Nec 3500, 2000 & 6000 

series. TEC F-10, Ricoh 1300 & 1600 $495 

MO. personal, cashier's check, free shipping. 
GRAY DAVIS. INC. 

77 E. Weldon. Suite 210 
Phoenix. Arizona 85012 
(602)274-1598 


BUSINESS 

OPPORTUNITIES 


Personal computer owners 

CAN EARN $1.00045,000 MONTHLY 
by selling simple services performed by their 
computer. Work at home-in spare time. Gtet free 
list of 100 best services to offer Write; 

C.I,L.B.K, 

PO Box 60369 

San Dtego.CA 921064369 


COMPUTER/ 

INSURANCE 


SAFEWARE 

11 your computer is important to you. insure it! 
S^EW/RE provides full replacement of hard- 
ware, media and purchased software. As little as 
$35 a year covers tire, theft, power surges, 
earthquake, water damage and auto accident. 
Call 8 am to 8 pm Monday thru Friday. Saturday 
9amto5pm. 

SAFEWARE. THE INSURANCE AGENCY INC. 
2929 N . High Street 
Columbus, OH 43202 

(614) 262-0559 (OH). (800) 648-3469 (NAT) 


COMPUTER/ 

LEASING 


PC«XT*CDMPAD Rental 

Quick delivery within U.S. All configurations in- 
cluding new AT. modems & printers Attractive 
rales & flexible terms. Lease 1 month or longer. 
Custom leases to fit budget requirements. A 
portion of your lease payment can apply to pur- 
chase. Trade old PC's on new AT. Purchase/lease 
back available. 

USE'R COMPUTERS, INC. 

12800 Industrial Park Blvd. 

Minneapolis. MN 55441 

(800)624-2480 

(612)559-7096 


COMPUTER 

REPAIRS 


IBM PC/XT/PPC a COMPAQ 
PORTABLE REPAIR 

Circuit boards and electronic sub-assemblies 
professionaify repaired on ATE (Automatic Test 
Equipment). An alternate solution, with lower 
pricing and fast turnaround. Dealer & Maintain- 
er packages available. From keyboard to power 
supplies. Call; 

UNITRACE INCORPORATED 
3350 Scott Blvd. Bldg. 20 
Santa Clara. CA 95054-3106 
Area 408 727-7573 

IBM a COMPAQ REPAIRS 

For years. Computer Systems Repair (CSR) has 
specialized in IBM PC. XT. and Corr^q (cor- 
poration) computer repairs. Our ‘state of the art’ 
automated lest equipment makes CSR the lead- 
ing tiiird party repair in the industry. Best ot all. 
CSR offers quality repairs. 3-day temaround time 
and a 9 month warranty, at a low cost. 
COMPUTER SYSTEMS REPAIR (CSR) 
Meadowtands Corp. Ctr.. 205 Chubb Ave. 
Lyndhurst.NJ 07071 
(201)460-1160 

CIRCUIT BOARDS and 
PRINTHEADS 

Specialize on IBM PC, XT boards and typically 
3-10 days turnaround. Also rebuild IMAGE- 
WRITER printheads. Very reasonable prices. 60 
day unconditional guarantee. Any warranteed 
returns repaired ABSOLUTELY FREE. 
ComProtek Services. Inc. 

8101 Cameron Rd #105 
Austin, TX 78753 
(512)837-4522 


COMPUTER 

SERVICES 


CHANGING WDRD PRDCESSDRS? 

We convert to and from; 

XEROX PC-DOS 

DEC WORDSTAR 

IBM MULTIMATE 

LANIER STRAIGHT ASCM 

WANG MICOM 

Also most CP/M systems. 


Data Conversidi, Inc. 

Mto CNaMr* . Bwam M. CA BOnO 

DATA CONVERSION INC, 

6310 Caballero Blvd. 

Buena Park. CA 90620 
(714)522-7762 

(Toll Free (800) 824-4851 in CaM) 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


331 





























BLUEBOOK 


COMPUTER 

TRAINING 


ATS AUTOMATED 
TRAINING SYSTEMS 

is offering a three hour workshop tor business 
ar¥f data processing protessnnals on how to use 
the IBM Personal Computer as a business tool. 
This introductory wortehop provides hands-on 
Retraining and is based on our 10-year plus ex- 
perience in creating effective courses in the 
business uses of IBM systems. If you're in cor- 
porate or divisional management or data pro- 
cessing management, the ATS workshop will 
acquaint you with an IBM PC in three short hours. 
All workshops will be held in conjunction with 
local computer retailers and are priced at $75 
per attendee. Don't miss out on this opportunity 
to start learning the IBM PC. For dale. time, and 
location ol the ATS workshop nearest your com- 
pany. call Paul Cannon at M I6M-USER 
AUTOMATED TRAINING SYSTEMS 
21250 Calita St.. Suite 107 
Woodland Hills. CA 91367 


DISK CONVERSION 
SERVICE 


CP/M, DOS&WP 

File conversion for the most popular word pro- 
cessors and PCs. IBM, Wang. Lanier. Micom. 
DEC. Can also convert CP/M to DOS 61^' and 
SVa'. Conversions include all supported format- 
ting codes. Call or write for free brochure. 

CAM SON CO 

12333 West Washington Blvd. 

Los Angeles. CA 90066 
(213)398-2785 


MEDIA CONVERSION SERVICES 

Save time and money converting document and 
data tiles between any of over 150 disk & tape 
formats— incl. word processors. PC's, main- 
frames and minicomputers (9-track tape), 
phototypesetters and mag card systems. CP/M, 
PC-DOS/MS-DOS downloading, OCR sen^ 
also supjkxted. Low cost tests available. 

TEXT SCIENCES CORPORATION 
2716 Ocean Park Blvd. 

Santa Monica. CA 90405-5211 
(213)452-9114 


DISKETTE COPY 
SERVICE 


9 TRACK TAPE TO DISKS 

Conversion from ASCII or EBCDIC 1600 BPt 
magnetic tape to PC-DOS 5V> diskettes. New 
high speed automated process verifies transfer. 
Quality guaranteed. Only SIX CENTS per thou- 
sand characters. $95 minimum. Other conver- 
sion available. 

ASI INC. 

1259 El Camino Suite 260 
Menlo Park. CA 94025 
(415)323^338 


PERFECT COPIES GUARANTEED 

Why risk dupficaling your important programs 
on your computer, vrhen our erxiipment is de- 
signed solely to duplicate disks arid verify their 
perfection 100%? Over 600 formats including 
Commodore 64. Plus serialization, copy protec- 
tion. labeling, packaging, shrink-wrapping and 
fast, personalized service. 



Western 
Tianstfata lac. 


DISK DUPLICATION 


WESTERN TRANSOATA, INC. 
1701 E. Edinger Ave. A-7 
Santa Ana. California 92705 
(714) 547-3383 (Collect) 


AUENBACH INDUSTRIES. INa 

Aiienbach created the industry, and we've since 
been imitated— but never duplicated. Copies 
supplied on OEM quality Aiienbach LIFETIME 
GUMANTEE diskettes, now available in a vari- 
ety of colors. Virtually aN formats and systems. 
Copy protection, serialization, downloading and 
panging available. Rapid delivery on 100 to 
1.000.000 copies. 


/NLLENBACH 


ALLEN6ACH INDUSTRIES, INC. 

5957 Landau Court 
Carlsbad. CA 92008 
(800) 854-1515. IN CA. (800) 468-2627 


HARD DISK COPY PROTECTION 

New HO install copy protection tor PC. XT. AT & 
compatibles. LockGuard's scrambled code pre- 
vents unauthorized copies. 7K disk spac%. De- 
signer kit allows customizing. Specialists in 
duplication all formats on 31^'. 8* me- 

dia. Packaging services. Downloading for over 
200 formats & dedicated word processors. 
OisCopyLabs 

1600 Wyatt Drive, Suite lOM 
Santa Clara. CA 95054 
(408)988-0438 


SORWARE FINISHING 

DUPLICATION done by stale of the art. high speed 
equipment lor the IBM. APPLE. ATARI. TRS-80. 
Commodore and many more Copy Protection. 
Seriahzalion. Custom Printing. Packaging and 
Shrink Wrapping are also available. Your pro- 
grams ve duplicated on Critically Certified disks 
that exceed ANSI specifications. Fast turn- 
arounds guaranteed. 

OMNI Resources Corp. 

50 Howe Ave. 

Millbury.MA 01527 
(617)865-4451 (800)343-7620 


IBM PROTECTION THAT WORKS 

If you're producing software for IBM Personal 
Computers, ^’re probably tired of losing sales 
because of illegal copying. ALF's Mufti-Guard 
protection format is the answer. Call our toK-free 
number today tor complete information on 
MultiGuard and our other copying services and 
products. 

ALF PRODUCTS. INC, 

1315-F Nelson St. 

Denver Colo 60215 

1 -(800) 321 -4668 (Colo. (303) 234-0671 ) 


BLANKH ORDER SERVICES 

Diskette duplication, packaging. sWking and 
drop-shipping servees based on your long-term 
needs. Place a blanket order with releases as you 
need them for large or small quantities at a fixed 
price. No extra charge ter ‘mastering*, label 
printing or application. 

STAR-BYTE, INC, 

2564 Industry Lane 
Norristown, M 19401 
(215)539-4300 (800)243-1515 


DECADE OF SERVICE 3V^ • 5y4 • 8 

Guaranteed fast turnaround tor duplication and 
formating on high quality OEM diskettes. Vir- 
tually all formats; Commodore, Apple. IBM PC. 
Kaypro. DEC. Alan, plus many more. Serializa- 
tion. state of the art copy protection and custom 
packaging available. P^^hzed service is our 
specialty. 

COMPUTER MEDIA PRODUCTS 
5462 Complex St , Suite 110 
San Diego. CA 92123 
(619)565-7802. 


PACKAGING & FULFILLMENT 

FREE diskette duplication, anti-copy proteebon, 
colored diskettes, art/graphics design, camera 
ready prep, assembly, shnnk wrapping. IBM style 
linen binders/slipcases. vinyl binders. 2 pocket 
folders, plastic disk albums, display paks, disk 
pages, mailers, labels, ship cartons. 
INPUT/OUTPUT MANAGEMENT 
1 Duncan Ave. 

Worcester. MA 01603 
(617)755-0900 


HARDWARE 


ADD-ON BOARDS 


FIXED DISK BIDS/BDOT 

FiXT boots from DATAMAC. DAVONG. XEBEC, 
PERCOM. GREAT LAKES. ZOBEX. others. Adds 
XT -like BIOS interface for your disk to IBM PC or 
COMPAQ. Plug^ installalion. DOS ^0/2.1 reqd. 
Specify controfter model with order $70 + $3 
shpg. 1 - tax. MC/VISA. (Optional volume sup- 
pori at additonal cost.) 

GOLDEN B(]W SYSTEMS 
RO BOX 3039 
San Diego, CA 92103 
(619)298-9349 


IEEE-4Ba INTERFACE 

Halfsize IEEE-488 interface and software tuns 
your PC. AT or compatible into an instrumenta- 
tion work station for the lab. test, and measue- 
ment. We are the major OEM supplier with 
interfaces for tO different architectures and the 
most comprehensive coverage of operating sys- 
tems and languages. $385 software $^. 
NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 
12109 Technology Blvd. Dept PC 
Austin. Texas ^^7 
(800) 531-5066or (512) 250-9119 

PDWERFUL AT MULT1FUNCT1DN 

NOW, get all the RAM and I/O expansion tor you 
AT in a single expansion slot. 128Kto3Mbpar- 
ity checked RAM with split memory addressing. 
2 serial ports (1 optionaf). 1 parallel port and 
optional game adapter. All fuRy AT compatible. 
VW are ONSET, a leading rnanutetuer ol AT add- 
on boards Write v call TODAY. I 

ONSET I 

POBOX909 ! 

Orangevale. CA 95662 (919) 969-3519 

$400 PER MEGABYTE 

Memory expansion for you IBM PC.XTuATat 
$400 per megabyte. All the memory you've 
dreamed of a! a price you can live with. JRAM- 
2 and JRAM-AT hold up to 2 megabytes per 
board with Ser/Par/Oks also available. Mega- 
memory and I/O po^ aU in one slot! 

TAa TREE SYSTEMS 
1032Elwell Court. Suite 124 
Palo Alto. CA 94^ 

(415)964-1960 


HARDWARE 


COMMUNICATIONS 


INnRNAL MODEM $99.00 

The SOFTMOOEM 450 is an inteftigent intemal 
short card modem. Features include AUTO-DIAL 
AUTO-ANSWER. AUTO-REDIAL and AUDIO 
MONITORING. Operates up to 450 baud. Soft- 
ware features TERMINAL EMULATION. FILE 
TRANSFER, ELECTRONIC PHONE BOOK. FUU 
PRINTER SUPPORT. Permits operation of PC from 
a remote terminal or computer. ABSOLLfTav the 
highest price-performance ratio available. 
COMPLETE package including modem, soft- 
ware and cable $99.00. 

M.6.E. Systems 
1355 Sunrise D. O^LBB 
Los Altos, CA 94022 
(415) 967-6100 ext. 123 


332 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 















BLUEBOOK 


HARDWARE 
DISK DRIVES 


1.2MB PC-AT DISK DRIVES 

AT your PC by replacing your diskette controller 
and adding a high -density disk drive JOiSI^TTE 
handles 1 to 4 diskette drives plus an I/O mod- 
ule $249 lor JDISKETTE-SA. $250 lor Teac 55GF 
(1 2UB).$200lor Teac 55B(360-K). $180 lor Ser/ 
Par/Clk module 
TAU TREE SYSTEMS 
1032 Elwelt Court. Suite 124 
Pak) Alto. CA 94303 
(415)964-1980 


HARDWARE 


PERIPHERALS 


BAR CDDE READERS/MAGNETIC 
STRIPE READERS 

TPS provides Bar Code and Magnetic Stripe 
Readers and combinations ol these for simple 
installation on IBM PC. PC|r. DEC Rainbow. 
Professional VT200 senes terminals. NCR De- 
cision Male V. Tl Professional, etc They con- 
nect between the keyboard and the PC so that 
no card slot or programming IS required $695- 
$995 

TPS ELECTRONICS 
4047 Transport Street 
Pak) Alto. CA 94303 
(415)856-6833 

PC/XT BAR CODE READER 

Compatible with PC/XT and most clones Sim- 
ple to mterconnecl between the keyboard and the 
PC No programming or card ^ts required 
Reads dot matrix & printed labels Supports high, 
rned. and tow density labels Audio and visual 
indicators, switch selectable options. & s^f-test/ 
diagnoses CODE 39. tNT2of5.UPC $695. 
AMERICAN MICROSYSTEMS 
PO Box 830551 
Richardson. TX 75080 
(817)834-9659 

BAR CODE SYSTEM 

Hewlett-Packard 3000 optical wand, interface via 
parallel printer port to l6M-pc or equiv.. CP/M, 
or Apple lie Decode and print COOABAR. UPC, 
and C(X)E 39 through BASIC. BASCOM compi- 
ler. and dBase II Print bar code tables on Diablo 
630 Okidata. or Epson Complete guaranteed 
package price $399 95 
PRO-DIGITAL SYSTEMS. INC 
3625 W Garden Grove. Ste 25 
Oange.CA 92666 
(215)743-6566 


HARDWARE 

POWER 

PROTECTION 


MEIRICKSTANDBY POWER 

THE MEIRICK STAND-BY POWER SYSTEM 
provides back-up power and protection from 
power failures, brownouts, surges, spikes, and 
power Ime noise. The enclosed battery will sup- 
ply a long run lime during a power failure. 
2^ watt system-$36S. 400 watt system-$49S: 
800 watt system-$795 
MEIRICK Inc POWER SYSTEMS DIVISION 
Box 298 

Frisco. CO 60443 
(303)666-3251 


HARDWARE 
STORAGE DEVICES 


COUPLER FOR 9 TRACK TAPE 

Two models available to read and write Vi n. 
magnebc tape wiih formatted 9 track drives Runs 
all speeds and densities in PC. XT and AT run- 
ning MS-DOS or XENIX. Data transfers up to 
904,000 bytes per second' Complete with cable 
and software, prices start at $8% 

OVERLAND DATA, INC 
5644 Kearny Mesa Rd 
San Oiego.CA 92111 
(619)571-5555 


PUBLICATIONS 

CATALOGS 


PC BUYERS GUIDE 

THE INDEPENDENT GUIDE TO PRODUCTS AND 
SERVICES FOR IBM Personal Computers This 
master directory hsis. descnbes. rates lor ease 
of use. and tens you about the latest tn software, 
hardware, accessories, supplies, books, ser- 
vices. el al Everything lor you and your IBM PC 
II even includes an Index of Computer C^mps 
lor both adults and children From the publish- 
ers ol PC An ideal gift al only $795 (-«- $1 55 
shipping/handling) lo U S destinations, and 
$11 00 elsewhere. Residents of CA. CO. CT. DC, 
FL. IL. MA. MO. NJ. and NY ackl applicable sales 
lax Checks or MasterCard or VISA acceptable 
(with number, expiration date and signature) U.S. 
funds only Mail to 
PC BUYERS GUIDE 
CN 1914 

Morristown. NJ 07960 

ATTENTION PCjr OWNERS! 

FREE CATALOG 

Need to expand your system'^ Join the PCjr Group 
tor best product and selection support Mem- 
bership $15/year. Quarterly Newslelter /Catalog 
accompanies your membership 
PC|f GROUP 
4620 50lhA-9. Dept A 
Lubbock, TX 79414 
1-1800)233-2203 


MAILING LISTS 


IBM MAILING LISTS 

Now over 687.000 micro owners Select by brand 
194M Apple. 129M IBM PC 152M TRS-80. BOM 
Commodore and morel 9 phone verified res^ler 
lists including 5183 stores. VAR s. chain buying 
offices Canadian and more! 12.500 computer 
companies Lists by software brands Printer 
models, schools, publications, etc Over 75 dif- 
ferent miao and mini lists Call or write tor FREE 
catalog include phone and type of company. 

Irv Brechner 

TARGETED MARKETING. INC 
60x5125 

Ridgewood. NJ 07451 
(201)445-7196 


SECURITY 


ONLY S49 . . . AND GUARANTEED 

CNSKSAFE Prevents unauthorized users from 
copying or viewing hard disk contents Runs on 
new or existing 10 to 20MB hard disks Protect 
IBM XT, AT, 3270PC. or compatibles Dual level 
security User defined PW and removable floppy 
‘softkey' protection Installs, locks, unlocks in 
seconds No encryption or hardware required 
ONLY $49’ MONEY BACK GUARANTEE VISA/ 
MC 

SENTRY SOFTWARE 
PO Box ‘AL* 

Los Gatos. CA 95031 

BIT-LOCK* SECURITY 

Guard your valuable software from PIRACY Our 
inexpensive security system protects you from 
lost profits. Copies will only operate with a BIT- 
LOCK device attached. &T-L0CK'$ powerful 
multi-layered secunty has proven rts ^ective- 
ness on IBM PC/XT. TRS-^. Apple and com- 
modore computers thru Ihe test of time 
MICROCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS 
7605 So Winderemere Circle 
Littleton. CO 60120 
1303)922-6410 


XT DATA SECURITY SYSTEM 

MagLock secures any type of file and restricts 
their use to authorized persons. Used with IBM 
XT or PC with expansion chassis, or any other 
IBM compatible hard disk system Secure hies, 
directories, subdirectories or an entire 10 me- 
gabyte drive, in minutes, without hardware or 
operating system modifications Allows unlim- 
ited password selection Price $89 00 


MagLock 

DATA SECURITY SYSTEM 


FLINDER SOFTWARE LABORATORIES 
169 Burnside 

Tonawanda. New York 14150 
(716)693-0584 


SOFTWARE 


ACCOUNTING 


CUSTDM PAYROLL 

All systems support multiple pay categories, 
calculation of all taxes, user-defined deduc- 
tions. exceptionai item handling, a variety of 
necessary reports, paychecks and W-2 forms 
Written m PC Basic with full source included for 
easy mainter^nce. Prices start at $695 00 for 
basic system and manual 
DATASMITH. INC 
60x8036 

Shawnee Mission, KS 66208 
Phone (913)381-9118 


PC-FUND 

PC-FUND IS a tund accounbng system tor local 
govts, schools, colleges, and nol-tor-prolil 
groups The system includes: General Ledger. 
Report Writer. PO/Encumbrance. payables, re- 
ceivables. payiotl/personnel. budgeting, utihty 
biHing and fixed assets The system supports up 
to 99 funds. 9999 departments and up to 36 fis- 
cal periods are on line PC-FUND runs on Ihe 
IBM-PC and most MS-DOS & XENIX computers 
AMERICAN FUNDWARE. INC 
PO Box 773028 

Steamboat Springs, Ctiorado 80477 
(303)879-5770 

CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING 
CMAS system is designed speatically for com- 
mercial contractors where tracking |Ob costs is 
required Five modules available are |Ob cost- 
ing Payroll, A/R. A/R and general led^ inter- 
active modules run stand alone or m any 
combination Contact Jeff Kilb 
Oata-Basics Inc. 

1100 Cedar Road #110 
Cieveiand. OH 44106 
(216)721-3400 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


333 


BLUEBOOK 


ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS 

A£MAS System is deseed speolicaiiy fw ar- 
cMects. CMl engeieers & other protessional firms 
where monilormg project costs is required 
Modules available are job costing. payroH. A/R. 
A/P ger^eral ledger & automatic invoicing Inter- 
active modules stand alone or run m any com- 
bir^tion Contact Bill Fraedrich 
OATA-BASICS. INC 
11000 Cedar Rd #110 
Cieveiand. OH 44106 
(216)721-3400 

CRYSTAL PAYROLL 
increadiMy fast and easy to use Computes 
wages and taxes n seconds, and prints item- 
ind checks Salaried and hourly envkivees. with 
ten user-detmed pay types tor hourly, dollar, tio- 
nus. commission, lips, and piece rate wages, 
expense reimbursements, and ten voluntary de- 
ductions True multiple pay and deduction rates 
and allocalion of wages to multiple ac- 
counts Flexible withholding tax options Com- 
pleie lederal. state, and local tax withhoideig and 
reporting Standard $395 00. Restaurant or Job 
Cost $595 00 
CRYSTAL SOFTWARE 
3100 Broadway. Suite 203 
Boulder. Colorado 80302 
(303)443-5528 

CPA REVIEW 

IBM PC takes the work out ot preparing tor the 
exam AtCPA questions with referenced sotu- 
tons are random generated by exam weights 
Study single, multiple or all categories with or 
without solutions Scores, creates results table 
& updates data base tor luture study. Sold by 
section 



MCm MAUHD SniOT HOr 


MICRO-MASH 
PO Box 6512 
HunlsvOteTX 77340 
H800) 241-9700 
In WVA (800) 642-2677 


CRYSTAL JOB COST SYSTEM 

Fulty ntegraled job cost and financial account- 
ing system includes PayroH. Accounts Payable. 
Genial Ledger. Job Cost, and Estimating Pack- 
ages Our unique Job Cost Package 1 $ based on 
a user defined spreadsheet to provide total flex- 
ibility inmeelmgeachuser'sneeds Standardor 
custom reports can be provided Packages can 
be purchased separately or combined Runs on 
floppy disk or hard disk systems 
CRYSTAL SOFTWARE 
3100 Broadway. Suite 203 
Boulder. CO 80302 
(303)443-5528 


EXPENSE ACCOUNTING 

An easy to use program lor the salesperson to 
laity expenses Up to 25 accounts may be set 
ta The accounts & entries are kept on a cal- 
endar year basis Accounts rrtay have up tti 5 hnes 
ol description Send $0 50 (P&H) for brochure 
on lhcs& other programs Requves 1 disk. BASIC 
&PC-OOS $50 check or MO to 
JOHN T SARGENT, COP 
POB 16124 

Chattanooga, TN 37416 
(615) 344-8164 afler5XpmEST 

invenllory 

A 'true F FG' perpetual inventory system with 
multiple databases, usage graphics and vendor 
pop-up wirKlows Custom devi^oped by a bank 
to manage Its forms inventory Inventory, vendor 
and transaction history databases with query/ 
select archive functions Past transactions 
meeting search criteria may be selected re- 
ports Automatic graphics display ol the usage 
ot each Item by nx)nth 10 sort options. Tutorial 
$495 

UNION NATIONAL BANK/ 

NOOSPHERE SOFTWARE COMPANY 
PO Box 1541 
Little Rock. AR 72203 
(501)378-40006x1 4280 

OPEN SYSTEMS, INC. 

BUSINESS & ACCOUNTING SOf TWARE-lasl 
becoming #1 with 60.000 businesses installed 
Superior products plus superior service 
• Accounts Payable • Accounts Rec • Fixed 
Assets • General Ledger • Human Resource 
Mgmi • Malenals Mgt • Payroll • Purchase 
Order • Sales Order • Report Writer 
OPEN SYSTEMS. INC 
6477 City West Pkwy 
Eden Prairie. MN 55344 
1 -(800) 328-2276 

PLAY ACCOUNTING TRIVIA 
Trivia games on IBM PC test knowledge of CPAi 
CMAs.ClAs. exam candidates Beat office com- 
petition Comprehensive exam from oftcial 
questions, based upon pubiished/past exam 
history Play single, multiple, all categories 
Sessi^ timed, scored, evaluated with results 
table $99 pkg 



HCWWMictesTuBTicir 


MICRO-MASH 
PO Box 6512 
Hunisviile, TX 77340 
H800) 241-9700 
In WVA (800) 642-2677 

DOUBLE ENTRY BOOKKEEPING 

GENERAL LEDGER tor PC/XT/AT/jr & com- 
patibles 

• SiarKlard account numbering scheme 

• Handies up to 1000 entr«s per month 

• Defaulted Data Entry 

• Error Catchmg-Prevenls information loss 
FAST ACCURATE ACCOUNTING FOR BUSI- 
NESS OR HOME $149 includes shipping MC/ 
VISA accepted 

SYNERGETIC 

20 Argonnc Plaza. Ste 364 
Oakndge. TN 37830 

(615) 435-2858 (TN). (800) 824-0725 (USA) 


PRACTICING ACCOUNTANTS 

'Big 6's‘ and small practices alike use Accoun- 
tants Microsystems Inc. revem^ generating 
software DATAWRITE” ciien! accounting gives 
custom reports, packs mainframe power onto 
your moo Further expand your practice with 
Fixed Asset Management and The TAX MA- 
CHINE' Nationwide Traming/Support 



ACCOUNTANTS MICROSYSTEMS INC 
3633 136th Place S£ 

Bellevue. WA 98006 
(600}426-«20l. (206)643-2050 

DON'T REINVENT THE WHEEL! 

Lotus Models and Unique Software are our spe- 
cialty Namebrand software is also available at 
below kst price Call lor our FREE CATALOG 
• Real Estate • Budget • Pension • Tax • Fixed 
Asset • Accounting • T ime Management • Cor- 
porate Planning • Lease/Purchase 
ACCOUNTANTS MICRO-COMPUTER 
PRODUCTS. INC 
PO Box 248 
Frederick. MO 21701 
(800) 638-0002 or (X1)695-767l 


SOFTWARE 


BUSINESS 


TIME ACCOUNTINGS BILLING 

TABS IS designed tor use by professionals who 
bin on the basis of tune (attorneys, accountants, 
etc.) User-triendly data entry and menu-driven 
program selection makes TABS easy to under- 
stand and operate STI’sfuii-leature software IS 
currently in use by over 1400 (tfms nationwide 
For details contact 



SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY. INC 
620 No 46ih. Suite 120 
Lincoln. NE 68504 
(402) 466- 1997 

dINVOICER -F PLUS 
Menu-driven billing & accounts recavable 
managerrren! system Produces Invoices. Aged 
Statements. Invoice Journals, Receipts Jour- 
nals. Aged Customer Account Status. Packing 
lists, etc Available with modifiable source code 
for dBASE II users $129. or as a stand-alone 
package (no source code) $199 VISA/MC 
DATAMAR SYSTEMS 
819 Gage Or 
San Diego. CA 92106 
(619)223-3344 


SALES MANAGER * 

THE SALES MANAGER ts a professional man- 
agement tool designed to control the sates en- 
vKonm^t Thesystemscompleteandhandles 
Customers. Prospects. Sales Reps. Planning, 
Forecasting. Expenses. Form Letters. Report- 
ing. Performance Monitors, and Call Reports 
Powerful, fulty supported Price $575 
MARKET POWER. INC. 

11760 Rough & Ready Road 
Rough & Ready. CA 95975 
(916)432-1200 

HardRunner ' 

Run Lotus without systOT diskette! This is the 

authentic Harr^unner' program that allows you 

to run Lotus and Symphony from your hard rksk 

without the need for a system floppy m the 

A drive $34 95 plus $5 s&h For fu^ mfor- 

mation see advertiser index listing tor 

Nostradamus 

NOSTRADAMUS 

5320 South 900 East 

SallUkeCrty.UT 84121 

(801)261-0769 

NEW! BUDGETED HOURLY COSTS 
Designed tor manufacturing/service firms with 
up to too employees and as many as 40 cost 
centers Develops 'all-mclusive.tull absorption' 
hourlycosts Menu driven, user-friendly, a man- 
ual written m plam English Generates 5 key re- 
ports. does 'what-if‘ simulations $299 D^ 
diskette $15 VISA/MC 
TARGET ASSXIATES INC 
461 Park Avenue South 
New York. NY 10016 
(212)689-2464 

PERSONAL MICRO TRACK" 

Meet I R.S Reg's; bill clients for PC time' Easy- 
to-use home/prof, office version of tested cor- 
porate software sold smee Nov 1983 Docu- 
ments use (rf PC. XT. AT LOGON records dale, 
time. user, acet code & any details you wish to 
track Sophislicated report tacibty tor graphic & 
detail reports Only $59 95(MAres 5%sls.bi.). 
WESTFORO SYSTEMS. INC 
P0 60X26 
Still Rrver.MA 01467 
(617)692-6500 


FAST. FREE-FORM GRAPHICS 

Use MONOGRAFX tor forms, calendars, block/ 
box diagrams, bar graphs, how charts, otg charts 
and more-ON A MONOCHROME SYSTEM" 
(Cotor/graphics boards OK bul NOT needed) 
Freely mn words &graphcs on tufl 6 X 11' page 
PUa-OOWN MENUS UNOOERASER. 19 PAT- 
TERNS FULL-SCREEN EDITOR MUCH MORE 
Drivers to print what-you-see on 30 prmlers 
$4995 Superb manual and tutorials Need128K. 
DOS 2 X RAVE REVIEWS FROM USERS IN BIG 
AND SMALL COMPANIES ALIKE' 

ANALYTICS INTERNATIONAL, INC 
17 Oakland Avem^ 

Arlington. Massachusetts 02174 
(617)641-0400 


334 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 






BLUEBOOK 


LP88-UNEAR PROGRAMMING 

A powerful menU'driven system for solving lin- 
ear programs with up to 255 constraints and 
2255 variables. A new product-form version ac- 
cepts problems up to 510X2510. Features in- 
clude interactive and batch operation, 
spreadsheet-style input and editing, a storage 
system for problems and bases, sequential file 
input/output. Simplex algorithm restart, a com- 
plete report generator, sensitivity analysis. Re- 
quires 192K. $99 with ^7 support, user'sguide. 
VISA/MC 

EASTERN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS. INC. 

POB 15328 
Alexandria. VA 22309 
(703)549-5469 

USERS GROUP SHAREWARE 

Our Users Group Library features a large selec- 
tion of Shareware tor your PC or PCjr. Pay the 
author if you like the program. 

* SAMPLER DISK-Includes caUlog. S9.95. 

* SHAREWARE SIX-FW-Special offer of six 
of our most popular Shareware disks, $49.95. 
Add $2 s/h. California residents add 6.5%. 
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA USERS GROUP 

PO. 60x8140 
Santa Cruz. CA 95061 

MILP88-MIXED INTEGER LP 

A GENERAL-PURPOSE sy^em for solving mixed 
integer linear programs with up to 45 integers. 
255 constraints and 1255 variables. Solves 
problems by applying the branch and bound 
method. Menu-driven with many useful fea- 
tures similar to LP88. Requires 192K, $99 with 
8087 support, user's guide. ViSA/MC 
EASTERN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS. INC. 

POB 15328 
Alexandria. VA 22309 
{703)549-5469 


MYTE MYKE~ BUSINESS SYSTEM 

(Commercial grade, integrated business appli- 
cation software. Order Entry. Inventory (Control. 
Sales Analysis. Accounts Receivable. Accounts 
Payable. General Ledger. Purchase Orders. Pro- 
Time-time and billing. Install & support avail. 
PCDOS. MSOOS. NOVELL Networks. XENIX & 
UNIX. 



M&D SYSTEMS. INC 
3885 N. Buffalo Rd. 

PO. Box 108 

Orchard Park. NY 14127 

(716)662-6611 


CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM 

The Software Shop Construction System is de- 
signed for the construcbon industry profes- 
sional. Five tuly integrated applications— JC GL, 
PY. AP and AR run on the IBM PC-XT and the 
new. more powerful AT. Package also includes 
audio training.cornputergraphics slideshow, and 
3 manual for each application. 

SOFTWARE SHOP SYSTEMS 
P.O.Box 728 
Farmingdale. NJ 07727 
1(800)554-9865 


Dalamar “JOB COSTING” 

Menu driven system monitors cashFlow and alt 
job transactions. Provides multi-level txffden 
rates & labor/material types. Tracks change or- 
ders. Reports job status, labor distribution, etc. 
Interfaces with most pr^ular accoutting pack- 
ages. PC/DOS. VISA/MC $395.00 
DATAMAR Systems 
5055ANorth Harbor Drive 
San Diego, 092106 
(619)223-3344 


PRIMAVERA PROJECT PLANNERS 

...the most project management you c^ get from 
a micro. Flan and schedule networks of up to 
10.000 activities. Level resource use. Control 
schedule resources and cost. Call or write to find 
out why Primavera is used by managers world- 
wide tor improved project pedormance. 
Primavera Systems. Inc. 

Two Bala Plaza Suite 925 
Bala Cynwyd.RA 19004 
(215) 667-8600 Telex (910) 997-0487 


ANALYTIC DECISION MODELS 

DSM is an integrative modeling system sup- 
porting multiple regression, linear/integer + 
quadratic programming. EDO inventory, queueing 
& break even modeling (all simulation based); 
bme series. PERT/CPM. Sensitivity analysis, data 
management, page forward/bacfcward & other 
features. $295. Demo diskette $15. 

DECISION SYSTEMS SUPPORT. INC. 

31871 Via Puntero 

San Juan Capistrano. CA 92675 

(714)493-3639 

SOFTWARE 

BUSINESS 

PROJECT 

MANAGEMENT 


AHAI (408) 458-9119 

You found it! The number to caH for software to 
manage any complex project, e.g.: R & D. CON- 
STRUCTION. BUSINESS/VENTURE PLAN- 
NING! Demo Sampler-Pack includes; PMS-II. 
RMS-II. MMS-PII, HARVARD TOTAL PROJECT 
MANAGER. HORNET. PERT-MASTER, TIME- 
LINE. SORCIM SUPER PROJECT. PLUS! Our staff 
of Project Managers and Microcomputer 
professionals provide NEEDS ASSESSMENT. 
SET-UP. TRAINING. INDIVIDUAL CONSULTA- 
TION by arrangement! 



AHA! INC. P.O.Box 8405 

Santa Cruz. CA 95061 -6405. (406) 458-9119 

Project Management SERVICES! 

FASTTRACKS MGMT. SYSTEM 

For Groups handling Capital Project. Ideal for 
FACfUTtES MANAGERS. Unlimited # & size of 
projs/categories. From Cap Budgeting to Paymts 
control. Forecasting. Cost Estimg & Proj schedig. 
Valuable features i.e. password control & mul- 
tiuser option. Excebit Mgmt Guide. Tutorial & 
Doctn IBM XT & cptbles. Write/cali for bro- 
chure/order $695 base price. 

CANTERBURY SYSTEMS 
l6500aklar>dBlvd. 

Walnut Creek. CA 94546 
(415)947-0266 


SOFTWARE 

COMMUNICATIONS 


TELEX LINK SOFTWARE 

Link your computer to telex service via ITT, 
RCA or Western Union with Cawlhon's telex 
software. Designed specifically for telex 
communications, Cawthon software is easy 
to use. has on-line help, self-test diagnos- 
tics. frequently called numbers, and an ex- 
cellent User's Guide. Cawthon Software is 
available for many computers and operating 
systems. 



Cawthon 

Scientific 

Group 


CAWTHON SCIENTIFIC GROUP 
24224 Michigan Avenue 
Dearborn, Michigan 48124 
(313) 565-4000 Telex; (810) 221-1265 


SOFTWARE 

COMPILER 


LATTICE C COMPILER 

Get Version 2.1 of the finest 8086/8068 C com- 
piler directly from Lattice. Includes 6087 sig)- 
port. UNIX math library. FORK/EXEC functions. 
Compatible with MS-DOS 1 and 2. Single-unit 
price is VISA/MC accepted. Call for infor- 

mation about corporate licenses and about other 
Lattice products such as MAKE. GRB^ CVUE and 
WINDOWS. 

LAniCE.!NC. 

RO. Box 3072 

Glen Ellyn. IL 60138 

(312) 858-7950. TWX 910-291 -2190 

SPARRY BASIC— B COMPILER 

Powerful basic compiler that means business. 

• Instructions supp^ intemal ISAM files. 

• Four virtual screens, recall bme <1 second. 

• Use of all memory for basic programs. 

• 13 significant digit integer math package. 

• Demos with tutorial and reference manual. 
Price $159. Quantity discounts. 

VISA/MC/CHECK. Mass. res. + 5% lax req. PC 
DOSwjth128K. demo diskette $15. 

SPARRY SOFTWARE LABS 
P0Box632#A 
Milford, Mass 01757 
(617)473-5435 


REALM COBOL COMPILER 

Choose the fastest micro COBOL, with compile 
and execution speeds that eclipse the rest. 
Compatible with IBM VS COBOL. Interactive 
source debugger, full-screen editor, arxf inter- 
faces to assembler and C. No royalty or run-time 
fee No limit on program size. Qualified compa- 
nies can by it for free. $995. 

REAL1A.INC. 

10 South Riverside Plaza 
Chicago. IL 60606 
(312)346-0642 

FRIENDLY FORTRAN + GRAPHICS 

You don't need C or BASIC anymore! FORTRAN 
Addenda: ASMUTIL2 - graphics. FUa key- 
board. printers(3). file-checks, light pen, string 
(even *ciose* searches!), dock, ... BUHLE - 
‘natural* I/O system alows on-line helps, 'oops* 
recoveries, multiple screens/CTRs, NON-OVER- 
FLOWING Formats, spread-sheet I/O ... Easy to 
pro^m and EASY ON YOUR USERS. Side- 
kick-, TopView". AT compatible. $165. 
IMPULSE Engineering. B.R. Strong jr. 

PO Box 3540 

San Francisco. CA 94119-3540 
(415)768-4611 

DeSmetC-$109 

Full K&R C compiler, assembler, linker, Nbrarian, 
fullscreen editor, profiler, overlays, example 
software. 140 page manual. BOTH 8087 and 
floating point libraries. (XJTSTANOING PRICE/ 
PERFORMANCE Consistently rated 1st or 2nd 
In published benchmarks. PC/MSOOS. No roy- 
alties on generated code. Newsletter. Updates 
$20 ea. $109 shipping included. Syndic (C 
source leveO Debugger Option $50 extra. C 
Compiler lor Macintosh $150. 

CWARE CORPORATION 

Oept.PCO 

PO. BoxC 

Sunnyvale. CA 94087 


SOFTWARE 

DATA 

ENTRY 


DATA ENTRY SYSTEM 

Heads down data entry tor the PC wM alow fast 
and accurate preparation of data files for your 
mainframe. Features: Mo dup. verification, auto 
format change, table lookups, range checks, 
batch totals, dup key. record insert and rrHich 
more. Ask us about our free 30 day trial period. 
Only $395. 

COMPUTER KEYES 
6519 193 SW 
Lynwood. WA 98036 
(206)776-6443 


$1DES/PC 

Desqned lor IBM/PC and Compatibles 029, 129, 
3741/3742, AND 5280 REPLACEMENT Sup- 
pods High Volume with Extensive Editing. Cotn- 
prehensive. Full Function Data Entry. Cost 
Effective. Volume Discounts Available. For More 
Information CaH or Write: 

Software Consulting Service, Inc. 

6930 Fourwinds Drive. Suite 231 
San Antonio, TX 76239 
(512)656-6484 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1, 1985 


335 
















BLUEBOOK 


RODE/PC DATA ENTRY SYSTEM 

KX)E/PC IS unmatched hy poH« & ease-o(-use 
htenu-driven. pop-up help. heads-Pown speed, 
extensive input validation, aulomatic reformat- 
mg. conditional processing, operator stats. 029 
keyboard option; much rrxxe $40 demo $595 
(or first license. $395 each additional Volume 
discounts 
OPXINC 

20823 Stevens Creek Blvd . Cl -C 
Cupertino. CA 95014 
{408)973-9292 TELEX 701111 


SOFTWARE 


DATA 

MANAGEMENT 


FORM MANAGER 

COMBINES data entry, data base forms pro- 
cessing. and spreadsheets Design forms on 
screen Use them lor data entry retrieval & cal- 
culations Does data entry validation Report 
writer sorts any 3 ti^ Prmls labels, reports, 
based on your own cntena Handles up to 32.767 
records $195 Derrx)di$k-$1S(X) 

BIT SOFTWARE 
PO Box 619 
Milpitas. CA 95035 
(408)262-1054 

PC-FILE Ill- 

New tor 1965. version 30. is faster than ever 
Enhancements. 32767 record capacity, field see 
up to 1665 bytes, instant 'snapshot' mailing la- 
bels. mxh more Exchange data with 1-2-3. 
WORD. WordStar. 3c Over lOO.OOOcopiesof PC- 
Fitemuse Printed manual $49 check. M/C or 
VISA Ton free 24 how order Ime 1-800- 
JBUTTON 
BUTTONWARE 
PO Box 5786 
Bellevue. WA 98006 
(206)746-4296 

XTRIEVE DATA MANAGER 

Too much data for dBase or Lotus^ Use Xtrieve 
iostoreyoufspreadsheetdala Xtrieve tiles hold 
up to 4 billion bytes and can cross disk bound- 
aries Record setection lets you quickly build a 
subset of your data, feed it to your spreadsheet, 
and store the results. Built m auto iecov3y-a 
must for large files $195 
SoftCratt.lnc 
PO Box 9802 #917 
Austin, TX 78766 
(512)346-6380 

KMan Advanced Tutorial: 

Adv book on Mastering Knowledge Man Data- 
base Ovei 200 example procedures! KMenu - 
Menu System allows you to create std. menus 
for your apfetns & to JUMP Menus. Date pro- 
cedures Color Support Sample Apictns met Umo 
Co Leasing Co. Finances. Invoices, Memo Re- 
minder Rotedexes, -!-++. Source Code & Disks 
Incl $75.00 
DO 

505 S Carrollton Ave 
New Orleans. LA 70118 
(504)866-2108 


FoxBASE 

Interpreler/Compiler 

OBASE II source compatible • Runs 3-20 times 
faster than dBASE It • Up to 46 fields per reewd 
• Full type-ahead capabilities • Provides com- 
pact object code & program secunty • Twice as 
many memory variables as dBASE tl • Sophis- 
ticated online manual/HELP facility • MS-DOS 
$395 AOS/VS $995 


— 

FOX SOFTWARE INC 

FOX SOFTWARE INC 
13330 Bishop Road. POB 269 
Bowling Green. OH 43402 
(419)354-3981 

FILING ASSISTANT USERS!! 

AND PFS, FILE USERS' Transfer data directly 
from your computer’s word processor to your 
Fibng Assistant tile. Recover corrupted data files. 
Make global changes to enstmg Ne. RLE-FORM 
translates any text hie to a Filmg Assistant tile, 
pays for Itself thetirstlimeyouuseit>S29 Man- 
ual only $5 
STELLAR SOFTWARE 
16745 MaplewiidSW 
Seattle. WA 98166 
(403)261-5270 


SOFTWARE 

DEVELOPMENT 

TOOLS 


CROSS-ASSEMBLERS 

Use your desktop computer as a development 
system with Avocet assemblers— the industry 
standard smee 1980 Available tor CP/M-80. CP/ 
M-86. and PCDOS/MSDOS host systents. in 
most popular disk formats Target chip families 
68000. 6804. 6605. 6609. 1602/05. 8048. 8051, 
6502. 6600. NEC7500. F8. Z8. COP400. 8085, 
Z80 $200to$500 


AVOCfT^^ 
SYSTEMS INC. 

AV(X:ET SYSTEMS. INC 
PO BOX490-P 
Rockport. ME 04856 
(800)446-8500. (207)236-9055 


C UTILITY LIBRARY 

Don’t reinvent the wheel Save lime and do a 
better job developing your software. Extensive 
library with source Best color/mono screen 
handling available Windows, graphics. DOS 2 
directories and files, keys, pnnter. communica- 
tions. date, time, and more Over 200 functions 
D0S/6)0S gate gives you complete control of 
your PC. Thorough manual with examples. C86, 
Microsoft, Lattice Mark Williams $149 De- 
Smel$99 

ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE, INC 
Box 1003 

Maplewood. NJ 07040 
(914)762-6605 

TURBO-PLUS’" 

Turbo-Phjs" is a set of external procedures 
crafted m assembler language and designed 
specifically tor Turbo Pascal s interactive envi- 
ronment $34 95 plus $5 s&h For further infor- 
mation see advertiser index listing for 
Nostradamus. 

NOSTRADAMUS 
5320 South 900 East 
Salt Uke City. UT 84121 
(801)261-0769 

BTRIEVE FILE MANAGER 

Elimtnale file searching and sorting with Btrieve 
Btrieve automatically maintains records in- 
sorted order You access any record direclly or 
read all the records m sorted ader Btrieve is last 
(random read less than 1/10 sec), handles 4 gi- 
gabyte tiles 24 keys, and is callable from all lan- 
guages $245 
SoftCratt. Inc 
PO Box 9802 #917 
Austin, TX 78766 
(512)346-8380 


SERIOUS SOFTWARE 
DEVELOPERS 

The software revision management system'* 
stores all versions of sowce/documentation in 
a Single ASCII file Allows retrieval of any version 
of source and application of changes, while re- 
cording when. why. and where changes were 
made with no duplication of common code MS/ 
PC-OOS 2.0 $69 95 -f $5 s/h (MN + 6%). MC/ 
VISA 

QUILT' COMPUTING 
7048 Siratford Rd 
Woodbury, Minnesota 55125 
(612)739-4650 

DOS DEBUGGER WITH SOURCE 
PC-TEST, a symbolic debugger so friendly you 
hardly need the manual Muili-window memory 
display, text file browsing, port I/O, saved 
screens. 16 break points, loop breaker 100% 
assembler. 64k. really flies With optional com- 
mented source novices can learn/de^lopers can 
cuslomue $39 or $129 (w/src) * $4 s&h 
AJM ASSOCIATES 
10917 Northndge Square 
Cupertino. CA 95014 
(408)996-7249 


TURBOUNKsBASIC^-PASCAL 

Combine BASIC or compiled BASIC and Turbo 
Pascal’* programs (or up to 576K code, all in 
memory Expand Turbo Pascal programs from 
64K to 576K m memory User copiable. Easy to 
use Link the best features of BASIC and Turbo 
Pascal. Turbo Pascal is a Trade Mark o( Borland 
International $39 95 * $5 00 shipping 
PATHFINDER SOFTWARE. INC, 

PO Box 43 

Littleton. Colorado 80160 
VISA/MC; 1(800) 835-2246 ext 123 


SOURCE DEBUGGER FOR 
LATTICE C 

The MSO D^ugger * is the last, and perhaps 
final, word in programming assistance lor Lat- 
tice C users C Debugger produces a high-level 
view of C programs via function names, line 
numbers, variable names and C data types, plus 
a low-level view ot machine addresses and in- 
siruclions tor testing assembler language 
functions 

More lealures include 

*AJi documentation is prepared tor programmers 
'Online help screen throughout the process 
'Capability to single step through your pro^am 
‘Set break points, examine registers and 
variables 

$165 00 ^ $3.50 shipping ViSA/MC 


■ «*■ IWiiO* MUSDM 


MSD 

214 1/2 West Mam St 
St Charles. IL 60174 
(312)377-5151 


CROSS ASSEMBLERS 

The same manufacturer— compatiUe. relocat- 
able cross-assemblers Microtec has been 
providing to professional developers since 1974 
are available to transform your PC/MS-OOS host 
microcomputer mto a development system 
Loaders/communcalion utilities included Tar- 
get families 80286. 80186. 8096. 8065. 8051. 
8048. 66000. 6809. 6800. ZSO. 6500. others 



MICROTEC 

RESEARCH 


MICROTEC RESEARCH. INC 
PO 80x60337 
Sunnyvale. CA 94088 
(408)733-2919 


336 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 



BLUEBOOK 


SOFTWARE 

EDIT 


KEDIT 

KEDtT 1 $ an XEDIT-Itke lull screen edflor lor the 
PC Features include splil-screeneditingol mul- 
tiple tiles, targets. ARBCHAR. SCHANGE. GET- 
FILE, SORT, prefix commands, wordwrap, block 
operations. & key redefinition NeedsBOcotumn 
display. 192K. DOS2 or later $125 plus $3 pip- 
ping Demo version $10 
MANSFIELD SOFTWARE GROUP 
PO BOX 532 
Storrs.CT 06268 
(203)429-8402 


SOFTWARE 


EDUCATIONAL 


THE FUTURE IS NOW 

MOTHER GOOSE— New generation revolution- 
ary soltware lor young children Brilliant color 
graphics, animation and lively ithjsic Instills 
computer & reading skills & is child proof Elec- 
tronic page turning allows your child lo experi- 
ence the wonders of Mother Goose It's tun. IBM 
PC/XT&PCif,$34 95.VISA/MC 
SUNSTAR SYSTEMS 
Route rr4. Box 368 
Ogdensburg. NY 13669 
(315)393-7117 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TUTOR 

POLYGLOT IS a tutor lor language study It al- 
lows the input and maintenance of word and 
phrase lists including accents and synonyms It 
allovirs typewritten, visual and audio (fizzes 
Designed tor beginning to advanced language 
study POLYGLOT manual and disk tor PC or Jr 
$1995(* CAtax) Order from 
ALCHEMY SOFTWARE 
Box 1057 
Aptos.CA 95001 
(408)688-6252 


SOFTWARE 


ENGINEERING 


TECHNICAL SOFTWARE 

Largest selection ol engineering software— CAO. 
Heal & Mass Flow, structural. Statistical Anal- 
ysis and much more Microcomputer programs 
lor Mechanical. Chemical. Dvil, Electrical Engi- 
neers. Architects. Scientists. Contractors Send 
lor detailed catalog— Include $2 00 for postage 
and handling 

TECHNICAL SOFTWARE INC 
3961 Lancaster Rd . #101 
Cleveland. OH 44121 


RESIDENCE HEAT/COOL CALC 

Perfect tor sizing healing/cooling equipment 
Store weather & job data lor future use ASH- 
RAE residential methodology & approiied tor use 
in meeting equip sizing requirements of Title 24 
& other codes Results m 6 seconds lo screen or 
printer Requires PC DOS. 128K. Check or MO 
$375 

S0LAR6Y.INC 

22028 Ventura Blvd. Suite 207 
Woodland Hills. CA 91364 
(818)347-6096 

smARTWORK- 

Prmied-circuil artwork editor tor double-sided 
boards up to 10* by 16'. runs on an I6M-PC Color 
display allows complete mteractrve control over 
the placemeni and routing process 2X artwork 
can be made on a dol-malrix printer or pen-and- 
ink piotler $895 Write or can tor a brochure 


▼▼ 


WINTEK Corporatioo 
1801 South Street 
Utayette. IN 47904-2993 
(317) 742-8428 


ENG/SCI GRAPHICS 

OMNIPLOT(S) (screen graphics) & OMNIPLOT 
(P) (plotter driver) provide integrated engineer- 
ing/soentitic 2-0 & 3-D graphics with NO PRO- 
GRAMMING REQUIRED' Mmu-driven, flexible, 
professional Choice ol formats tabular/line. 
contour, bar. pie. 3-0 wire Irame & much more! 
OMNIPLOTfS) $195. OMNIPLOTfP) $195 Both 
$295 

MICROCOMPATIBLES 
301 Prelude Dnw 
Silver Spring, MD 20901 
(301)593-0683 


SIMULATION 

GPSS/PC IS a lull-power version ol GPSS, the 
most popular mainframe simulation language 
More than just a language, it is a simulation en- 
vironment specifically designed for interactive use 
on today's high-speed miaoprocessors Using 
GPSS/TC. you can predct effects of changes to 
real-world systems 
MINUTEMAN SOFTWARE 
PO. Box 171/6, Stow, MA 01775 
H800) 343-0664 ext. 4800 (US). 

HSOO) 322-1238 ext 4800 (Mass only) 

NEW STRUCTURAL DESIGN 

Fast, efficient, versatile structural analysis and 
design program m spreadsheet format- BEAMS. 
COLUMNS and FRAMESot any material. Friendly 
input and output with data storage and COLOR 
graphics Specify PC, XT or AT and send $25 for 
demonstration diskette tO' 

C-Squared 8-Sguared Softvrare Design Inc 
763 27th Ave 
San Francisco. CA 94121 
(415)751-1337.(800)621-0851 


KALMAN FILTER PRIMER 

Learn Kalman Filter with this software, docu- 
ment. and support package Easy-to-use pro- 
grams provide practical hands on expenence. 
Unique slep-by-slep approach designed lor s^- 
study Many numerical examples with straight- 
forward explanations For engineers, scientists, 
programmers, and managers 
KALMAN FILTER PRIMER 
22338 Lull Street 
Canoga Park. CA 91304 
(618) 716-0816 


SOFTWARE/ 

EXPERT 

SYSTEMS 


BUILD EXPERT SYSTEMS FAST 

Use EXPERT-EASE" to build expert systems in 
any field w/no experience req'd PC mag chose 
EXPERT-EASE" one of 1984s best products 
Tins Artificial Intelligence breakthrough is the top 
selhng expert sysl^ generator software For IBM 
PC/XT. clones. DEC Rainbow, 128K ♦ RAM Fuiy 
functional 0emonstralorw/manual-$100 00 Full 
credit on trade-in tor complete $575 00 pack- 
age Send check or call/write 
EXPERT SYSTEMS INC 
868 West End Ave. Suite 3A 
NY. NY 10025 
(212)662-7206 


SOFTWARE 

HNANCIAL 


PFroi Portfolio ROi/Taxes 

PFroi computes stock/bond portli^io ROl be- 
tore/after taxes Handles buys/sells (short & 
long) dividends, interest, splits, etc 'Auto-tax* 
feature generates interest, dividend and capital 
gam reports tor Tax Schedules B and 0 and tests 
trades to mmimize taxes l28K-FDOS2.0orl3ter 
PFroi $35/0emo $10 Visa/MC 
TECHSERVE.INC 
PO Box 70056 
Bellevue, MA 98007 
(206)747-5598 

TAX PLANNING TEMPLATE 

A diskette lo be used with t-2-3. or Symphony 
User can toggle between 1983 & 1%4 compu- 
tations. met both years' tax tables Computes 
stale income taxes 256K req Flexible, menu- 
driven Follows IRS forms by line number & md 
1040 Sch A, B. C. 0. E, G, W, SE. forms 2119. 
2441.3468.6251 $75 
PERSONAL TAX PLAN '-PERMAR & ASSOC 
1125SunnyhillsRoad-Dept PCM 
Oakland. CA 94610 
(800)443^100 X644 


SOFTWARE 


GAMES 


STAR FLEET I 

*1 call STAR FLEET 1 the world's most elaborate 
star battles game*— Jeny Poumelle. Byte S^t 
'84 Features color animation of battles, music, 
promotions, through ranks. Capture ships, lay 
mines, launch probes, rescue bases, repair 
damage, eliminate intruders, morel 98 pg. man- 
ual Req 128K. PC/PCjr.. 1 drive. 80 cols. $49 95 
-f$2s/h. 

CYGNUS Force orders; 

P.O.Box 57825 (800)622-4070 

Webster, TX 77598 (800)942-7317 

(713)466-4163 (inIHinois) 

GAMES 1-2-3'- PLAYS 
Five (WKS) game files provides an opportunity 
to lest yottf logic and concentration sl^. Files 
u% random generator making each play unique. 
Printer and on-ikie instructions are provided. 
Order by August 1 and receive Horse Racing at 
Derby Downs (DERBY WKS) as a BONUS Send 
$29.95 ck/mo VA residents add 4% 

BLUE RIDGE CONSULTING 
RO Box 6741 
Charlonesville.VA 22906 
(804)971-9637 

ZORKrun and ZORKcheat 

ZORKrun loads any Infocom game (Infidel, Zork. 
etc ) into memory and runs with no disk reads 
Fast execution, normal game restore and save— 
$15 US. ZORKcheat— Use if really stuck Lists 
vocab. rooms, objects, messages fmm any game 
disk-$20 US. Both only $30 US. 2S6K PC/XT. 
1 drive. DOS ri/2x Check. M/0. 

JM MCCORMICK 
34 Evergreen Drive 
N^n. Ontario. Canada K2H 6C6 
(613)829-9051 

TRIVIA MASTER 

Trivia Master comes with 1000 (^tions Add 
your own quesbons-creale family trivial Both 
multiple choice and direct response answers. 
Additional question diskettes available Trivia 
Mast^ $34.95. Extra question diskettes$14 95. 
CHECK/MONEY ORDER/COD ACCEPTED, 
DEAUR INQUIRIES WELCOME. 
COMPUSOLVEINC. 

1561 Weatherstone Lane 
Elgin. IL 60120 
(312) 741 -71 W 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


337 




BLUEBOOK 


SOFTWARE 


GENERAL 


DVORAK KEYBOARD SOFTWARE 

Want a Dvorak Keytioard tor your IBM PC? Sure- 
Slroke translates keystrokes, gtves you Dvorak 
Typing Coach, transfer letters for key tops, man- 
ual, setf-rnotivatH)n audio cassette. Works with 
Lotus. dBase. WxdStar, etc Stop hunting and 
pecking— Stroke the Dvorak today! $95 00 plus 
$4 00 dipping, Vtsa/MC AMEX or check. 
SEASONED SYSTEMS. INC 
Box 3720 

Chapel Hill. NC 27515 
(800)334-5531 (919)967-5818 

RENT PUBLIC DOMAIN SOPT/W 

Rent our PC Disk LiOranes tor 7 days and copy 
them yourself. Hundreds o( useful txisiness, 
games and utilities FREE FOR THE TAKING! 
IBM-PC SIG-Volumes 1 -220 $230.00 

IBM-PC -BLUE* 1-80 $8500 

Rental is for 7 days after receipt. 3 days grace to 
return Most credit cards accepted 
NATIONAL PUBUC DOMAIN 
SOFTWARE CENTER 
1 533 Avohtll Drive 
Vista. CA 92063 
(619)941-0925 Info and orders 
(619) 727-1015 24 hr. mto recording 

THE UBEL MAKER" 

Prml labels with oar codes. XR-A like and large 
characters trom data entered at Keyboard or from 
disk hies Create and save unique printing for- 
mats and record layouts Period record add, 
change, delete, sort and select on disk files. 
Minimum IBM PC required and Okidata 92 or 93 
printer. $395 
TJ SOFTWARE 
PO Box 2044 
Ariinglon Heights. H. 60006 
(312)364-1065 
ca, NY 

SHOP CHEAP— EAT SMART 

•COUPONOMIZER-Save more money with your 

discount coupons and rebates. 64K 

'DIET ANALYZER-Lose those extra pounds! 

Tracks calones * 23 nutrients. Ideal lor menu 

planning 128 K. Immedtale shipment. 2 week 

moneybacktnal $49.95 ea + $2.50 $/h AmEx. 

MC. ^SA. Call tor free brochure 

NATURAL SOFTWARE LTD 

7LakeSt.STE7E 

White Ptams. NY 10603 

(800) 626-2511. (914) 761 -9329 vi NY (coHecI) 


SOFTWARE 

GRAPHICS 


35mm SLIDE FROM YOUR PC 

COMPUTER SLIDE EXPRESS converts graphic 

files produced on the IBM PC nto briiant 35imm 

color slides with color resolution 400% better 

than your monitor Leave your printouts behind 

Use high resolution color slides at your next 

presenlaiion COMPUTER SLIDE EXPRESS $6/ 

slide $30 minimum order 

VISUAL HORIZONS 

180 Metro Park 

Rochester. NY 14623 

(716)424-5300 

GRAPHIC PRINTER SUPPORT 
At last IBM-PC graphc support for your dot ma- 
trix printer Use the PrtSc key to produce quality 
B&W or color scaled dot matrix reproductions of 
your display on your Epson. IBM. Okidata, IDS. 
Cenironics. DEC, Anadex. Oatasouth. Gemini. Tl 
850. Riteman. Toshiba. NEC 8023. or C Iloh 
printers If your printer is not listed, let us know 
and we will support it (iRAFPLUS is now avail- 
able for all versions of PC or MS-DOS and will 
operate with IBM. Techmar, and Hercules 
graphics boards Technologtes. Inc $49 95 
JEWELL TECHNOIXIES. INC 
4451-53rd Avenue Southwest 
Seattle Washington 98116 
(206)937-1081 

FORTRAN/PASCAL GRAPHICS 
GRAFMATIC (screen graphics) 70 Microsoft 
FORTRAN/PASCAl (31. 32) IBM 20 or DR 
FORTRAN callable subroutines Professiortal 
graphics power backed by a 100 pg user man- 
ual 5 packs m one general utility. 2-D mierac- 
tive. total 2-0 plot support. 3-0 plots. 3-D solid 
models (hidden Ime removal) $135 H-P. IBM. 
HI Piolt^ Try PLOTMATiC lor complete plotter 
graphics capabilities Interlace w/GRAFMATIC 
$135 Both $240 00 
MICRXOMPATIBLES 
301 Prelude Drive 
Silver Spring. MD 20901 
(301)593-0683 

HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS 
Ckaw Imes. circles, rectangles, squares, trian- 
gles. paraOefograms trapezoids, and arcs Pant 
with 100 ditlereni brush sizes in 4 shades Move 
and copy blocks with the ability to replace, ov- 
erlay. and inlay Save lo disk or printer Store 
commonly used symbols in libraries (llowcharl 
itxary included) Muitiplescreendrawings Text 
capability The Drawing Tablet Price $49 95 
K SOFTWARE HOUSE 
Rl #2.80x8381 
Unionville. TN 37180 
(615)294-5090 


EEZ GRAPHICS FOR COLORPAK 

EEZTOOLBOX " — Library ol subroutines with 
muitipte languages miertace EEZPLOT- — 
Menu driven business graphics package $8995 
each Features include barchan, piechan. hne- 
graph. multiple screen display, animation, rapid 
image save/retneval. text and printers support 
For Hercules Mono & Tseng Uilrapak/cWpak 
ABC SOFTWARE . INC 
PO Box368-Oepl PCW 
west Pont. PA 19486 
(215)368-4675 

PLOHER SOFTWARE 
For the IBM and APPLE cwnputers to drive the 
Kewlelt-Packard and compatible plotters The 
XI TYPE SHOP will almost transform your 
plotter into a type setting system The XI OR- 
GANIZATION makes it easy lo display and 
dale your organization chan Te order or for 
additional mlormation contact 
OEaSION GRAPHICS. INC 
PO Box 2776 PC 
Littleton. X 80161 
(303)796^)341 

FONT GENERATOR 

Quickly and easily create tonis-then download 

(hem to the prmler Any program can access the 

new set (at printer's fastest speed-ie cyrillic. 

Hebrew, etc At 190cps on 1351) Suppons OKI 

92 & 93 TXHIBA 1351 & EPSON LQ-1500 

F0NT(^N runs on IBM & most compattiles with 

mono or graphics screen Ready loots avail 

HAC.INC 

216 Whalen St 

Bronx. NY 10471 

(212)796-4534 


SOFTWARE 

HEALTH 


CompuMedic" 

PROVbN Practice Management System-m use 
4 yrs Patient data management. AIR. stale- 
menls. insurance forms, practice analysis, word 
ptocessmg. recall, delm^i tracking, histori- 
cal data FLEXIBLE User designed lorms/r^ 
ports $3600 Training XT/AT Dental 
(DenialWare'^. eyecare/oplomelry (£yeMale"1. 
and veterinary (V^Logic'') also available Dealer 
inquiries invited 
DATA STRATEGIES. INC 
332 S Jumper SI Suite 210 
Escondido. CA 92025 
(619) 489-9218 


SOFTWARE 


HOBBIES 


ROOTS II FOR PC GENEALOGY 

Organize your larmly tree and pnnt camera-ready 
family books containing charts, text and in- 
dexes Store, retrieve and display 1.000's of tamily 
tacts with biographical sketches and source 
documentation Lightnmg-tasl searches and 
sorts Display pictures and maps 250 page 
manual Satislaciion guaranteed Write lor free 
brochure $195(-F(>\tax) 

COMMSOFT 

2452 Embarcadero Way, Ste A 
PaloAllo. 094303(415)493-2184 

THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT 
Have your IBM PC Of PCjr layout your garden, 
and suggest plani/harvesi dates and quantities 
tobuy and plant Select trom over 50 vegetables 
or add your own Garden layout is produced on 
your screen where you may use commands to 
modify the layout (jptional prmter output Gar- 
den(s) may be saved to disk IBM PC and PCjr 
with one disk drive $45 00 (Mso available lor 
Apple II senes and C-64) 

SHANNON SOFTWARE. LTD 
PO Box 6126 
FaHs Church. VA 22046 
(703)573-9274 


SOFTWARE 


INSURANCE 


THE AGENCY MANAGER " 

Designed by insurarKe professionals for inde- 
pendent msurance agents, this integrated sys- 
tem performs Customer aatg . general ledger, 
cbent data update and retrieval, over 100 mar- 
keting reports and sales tools. ACXXtD's Easy 
mam menu and HELP leature WANS IBM-PC, 
CP/M, Turbodos 
APPLIED SYSTEMS 
Pauling Rd 
Monee. 160449 
(312)534-5575 

P&CINSURANCE AGENCY 
Insurance agency management package Com- 
pleiefy mteractne from nvocmg to balance sheet 
andP&L Ful month end and daily reports Basic 
pkg -$2000 Optionsavailable. marketing, word 
praessing, on-line customer policy profile, 
customer online daiiy/transaclions: producer 
reports, & more PC-DOS & CP/M 
DIMENSIONAL BUSINESS SYSTEMS 
250 NW 4th Diagonal 
Boca Raton. FL 33432 
(305) 366-0270 & Toronto. Canada 


338 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 



BLUEBOOK 


SOFTWARE 

INTEGRATION 


POOR MAN'S TOPVIEW 

MULTIPLE CHOICE ptoviaes 

A) Screen switching under DOS 2 x or 3 x. 

B) Up to 8 programs in memory 

C) EHicien! memory usage 
-run 123 with WordStar m 256K 

0) Data transter via lull-saeen snapshot 
E) All of the above available NOW only S64 
Multiple choice runs on IBM/ PC/XT /AT/ck)nes 
Older toll-tree (V1SA/MC) 

Outside CA (800) 848-2255. ext 603 
Inside CA (800) 624-2644. ext 803 
For information call (406) 646-1384 
AWESOME TECHNOLOGY. INC 
177 Webster St. Suite A-416 
Monterey. CA 93940 
Topview IS a trademark of IBM Corp 


SOFTWARE 


LANGUAGES 


LUCID LANGUAGE 

Remarkable new luli-fledged programming lan- 
guage combines the style ol C. the simplicity of 
BASIC, and the power of dBASE H integrated B- 
iree database and saeen forms manager 116 
buiit-m functions Reads dBASE It and III tiles 
An incredible value at only $29 d (manual. $15) 
Call or write lor details' 

LUCID SOFTWARE CORPORATION 
3080 Valmoni Road 
Boulder. CO 80301 
(303)442-4961 


SOFTWARE 

MAILING 

PROGRAMS 


MY-T-MAILER~S30 

Our users love this sturdy menu-driven worker 
Seaelares say 'Temfic'' Print labels, 3 x Scards. 
envelopes, any tormai Customize labels with 
Ime-by-lme printer tonis Sort. Search & S^l 
with powertul, flexible, easy user-intertace £Z 
Browse. Edit. & Delete Prml up to 5000 copies 
ot one label Also PCir' Req 128K $30 
JOHNSON SOFTWARE COMPANY 
POB 16507 Dept 3 
Seattle. WA 96116 
(206)935-4861 


SOFTWARE 

MANUFACTURING 

MCBA MANUFACTURING SYSTEM 

Adapted lor the IBM PC using MS-DOS, Inven- 
tory Management. Bill ol Materials. Order Pro- 
cessing. Purchasing, Job Costing, MRP. Labor 
Performance, Shop Floor Control. Standard 
Product, Costing and Routmg. Accounting In- 
stall & support available In use al over 11,000 
installations'" 

MDM Systems, tnc. 

24525 Southfield Rd Suite 205 
Southtietd. Ml 48075 
(313)535-0200 

MFG. CONTROL SYSTEMS 
A Comprehensrve system lor repetitive or |Ob 
shop type manulaclurers consisting ot. B/M, In- 
ventory Order Processing, Purchasing. Mai Req 
Planning MRP MPS, Shop Floor Ctrl & CRP. Cost 
devel , Job & W/0 Costing. Accounting 1 Yr 
warranty included Tram & consult avail Com- 
pare our system & prces tor best value 
PRODUCTION SYSTEMS INC 
410 MacKiyn Ave 
Santa Rosa. CA 95405 
(707)526-1294 


MYTE MYKE" MANUFACTURING 
Control System 

Integrates with Business System Std cost pro- 
vides Bill ot Material, operations routing, where 
used, same as except & iKOiection capabililies 
Inv Control, Forecast/Sched, MRP MPP Prod 
Cost. Prod Orders. Shop Floor Control Install 
& support avail PCOOS.MSOOS, NOVELL Net- 
works. XENIX & UNIX 


AVM 

mvteImvke 


POMEfVUI. 

MOtOCCivnrTCR 

sorrwARC 


M&O SYSTEMS. INC 
3885 N ButtaloRd 
PO Box 108 
Orchard Park. NY 14127 
(716)662-6611 


TWIN OAKS mrp 2 


• Bilis/malenai 

• Inv Control 

• Purchasmg 

• MRP & CRP 


• 22 Modules 

• 128K, PC. XT Of AT 

• DOS 10-30 

• Hard/Sott Disk 


• Master Sched'g • Online- Realtime 

• Phys tnvcniory • Multi User 

• Std Costing •Acclg 

TWIN OAKS. INC 

80x136 

Cottage Grove, MN 55016 
(612)458-1604 


SOFTWARE 

MEDICAL 


DRUG INTERACTIONS 

Compuler assistance with palieni manage- 
ment Enter up to 20 drugs by brand or generic 
name and gel report of possible drug interac- 
Itons Over 500 drug names/3900 entries in 
memory 128K Mono & pnnter needed Ex- 
tremely thorough $89 (From PA add 6% lax) 
Send addressed stamped envelope tor sample 
repwi 

Or Richard H Jeffries 
4600 Custer Drive 
Harnsburg.RA 17110 

THRESHOLD-TM 

Desigrted tor the one. two and three physician 
practice Includes patient billing, accounts re- 
ceivable. electronic and paper claims and past 
due account listings $1.9% Expandable with 
additional modules Requires hard disk. 256K. 
PC-DOS 

PHYSICIANS PRACTICE MANAGEMENT, INC 
1610 South Lynhurst. Suite 0 
Indianapolis, Indiana 46241 
In the Continental U S call (600) 426-3515 
Indiana resxlents call (600) 792-3525 

CYBERLOG 

The Quarierty ol Apphed Medical software A 
medical publication to increase professional ef- 
fectiveness 50pg text. 2-4 disks, one medical 
process per issue. 4 issues/year Physician au- 
thored Tutorials, case studies, and more Char- 
ter subscription $525 00 Demo disk $25 Bill. 
VISA, MC. Am Ex 
CARDINAL HEALTH SYSTEMS. INC 
7562 Market Place Drive 
Minneapolis. MN 55344 
(800) 328-0180 or (612) 941-5170 

PC * CLAIM 

Physician s office insurance claim tiling with 
printed insurance forms & paperless claims 
processing Overnight electronic claims sub- 
mission SPEEDS BLUE, M CARE, PRIVATE IN- 
SURANCE settlement Includes CPT, ICO. 
HCPC Codes by specialty & 3800 3rd party 
payors 23 programs. 3 diskettes, user manual 
DOS/192K/modem/min 2 floopy drives or h- 
dtsk $229 95-MONEY BACK GUARANTEE 
PHYSICIANS PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 
1610 South Lynhurst. Suite 0 
Indianapolis. Indiana 46241 
In the Continental US call (800) 428-351 5 
Indiana residents call (800) 792-3525 

THRESHOLD 

120 programs tor A/R. office management, clin- 
ical studies, referring physician reports, elec- 
Ironic claims submission Includes on-line help, 
lull security with audit trails, patient name ori- 
entation, $3,995 00 FREE REMOTE DEMON- 
STRATIONS AVAILABLE Requites hard disk, 
256K.DOS 

PHYSICIANS PRACTICE MANAGEMENT, INC 
1610 South Lynhurst Drive. Suite Q 
Indianapolis. Indiana 46241 
In the continental U S call (600)428-3515 
Indiana residents call (600) 792-3525 


PC*CLAIM PLUS 

ThisisPC’CLAiMplusapatiOTt database Keep 
all patient information on your hard disk for im- 
mediate retrieval Naturally. Ihesameelecironic 
and paper submission capabilities as 
PCXLAlM/28 PROGRAMS/USER MANUAL 
D0S/256K/M0DEM/HAR0 DISK $459 (in- 
cludes PC’CLAIM), 30 DAY MONEY BACK 
GUARANTEE 

Physicians Practice Management 
1810 South Lynhurst. Suite Q 
Indianapolis. IN 46241 
In the Continental US call (800) 428-3515 
Indiana resdents call (800) 792-3525 

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS 

The INTERNIST runs difterential diagnoses on 
any combination ot 480 symptoms tor 33t dis- 
eases Lists symptoms associated with any dis- 
ease Prints & displays diagnoses m rank order 
Extremely easy to use and fast Includes binder, 
user-manual, program & data base diskettes 
$9500 VISA, MC/check or UPS COO accepted 
N-Squared Computing 
5318 Forest Ridge Rd 
Silverton. OR 97381 
(503)873-5906 


SOFTWARE 

One-of-a-kind 


CDMPUTERIZED GREETING CARD 

Turn any monitor into a greeting card Choose 1 
of 9 tunes, 1 ot 7 graphics-Xmas, New Years. 
Bday, Anmv , Wedding, Grad . Promotion Per- 
sonalize the card with your own rrressage, your 
name, the recervers name Reusable IBM & 
compatible with color graphics $29 95 (CA res- 
idents add 6%) allow 4-6 wks for delrvery 
GOLD MINE ENTERPRISES 
PO BOX 481100 
Los Angeles. CA 90048 
MC/VISA (213) 273-5471 


SOFTWARE 

OPERATING 
SYSTEMS 

MULTIPLE USERS UNDER PC DDS 

MuIhLink advance turns PC-DOS into an etfi- 
cienl multi-user multi-lasking operating sys- 
tem Addilonal users are supported by attaching 
inexpenstve CRT terminals or modems to serial 
ports on the PC. XT. or AT. and can run rwrmal 
appficabons designed lor PC-DOS Includes prvit 
spooling, keyboard enhancer, and communica- 
tions software 



THE SOFTWARE LINK INCORPORATED 
8601 Ounwoody Place Suite 336 
Atlania.GA 30338 
(404)998-0700 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


339 



BLUEBOOK 


SOFTWARE 


REAL ESTATE 


REAL ESTATE TOOLS I 

Over 45 powerful, easy-lo-use. iT)er>u-driven 
analyses ol iDortgages (regular. baUon. GPM. 
constant prmctpai. wrap), leases, construct 
Loans and vanadie/grouped cash nows plus 
amorttfalions Ckxnpules IfiR, NPV FMRR, price, 
points yield, etc For IBM PC/XT/compatiWcs. 
l26K.20Sdrives 228'page manual $299 
ANSONN SOFTWARE INC 
2801 N Surrey Dnve 
Carrolton. Texas 75006 
1214)446-4340 


EZ-RE INVESTOR TEMPUTES 
Complete analysis package lor the Real Estate 
Investor For Eqwiy Share, Rent House. Apart- 
ments Warehouses, and Otiice BuiKtmgs Five 
nwtgages can be ARM FHA245. arrxxl, de- 
ferred mt ormlonly Ten year protection of cash 
flow, deductions. seH price, tax at sell, gam or 
loss per year, and alter tax fRR Expenses, ml. 
rent, and appreciation adiusi annually Also 45 
year loan amorliTation templates Prof report 
ReautesLOTUSl23and256K $50PP0 Money 
back guarantee Visa MC 
LB ASSOCIATES. INC 
6617 Skokie Lane 
Vienrra.VA 22180 
(703)938-9093 

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PLUS 

A new easy-to-use system lor single or multi- 
family ptc^ies Prints checks, rent state- 
ments and rece^ts Regorts-late rents, ex- 
pired leases, vacancies income/expenses, and 
operaftrrg statements Includesabankreconol- 
lation feature and graphes capabilities' Up to 
70% reduction m management time $675 
REALTY SOFTWARE COMPANY 
1926 South Pacific Coast Hwy . #229 
Redondo Beach. CA 90277 
(213)372-9419 


REAL ESTATE TEMPLATES 

16 templates lor RE investors, realtors, acet’s. 
loan ot^s. educators Over 130 pp oldoc on 
tmancial analysis Performs bet & ati tax cash 
flow, mc/exp stmt net proceeds on sale. ACRS 
dept, loan amoii. IRR. ratios • 9 more Written 
by RE mvestor/brokei AmustforanyREprotes- 
sonat Req PCor ir. 1-2-3 Visr-Cat, Multiplan 
10 day trial $99 
HENDERSON REAL ESTATE 
309 West Beaufort 
Normal.lL61761 

(309)454 1241 or (309)682-5169 


PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 

Software tor rental mcome producing proper- 
ties Provides cash flow analysis, records ex- 
pendili^es on each unit, and aaumuiates cost 
for tax purposes Prmis cash now and Summary 
o< Operations Report Expense categories are 
selected by the end user Provides amortisation 
and IRS d^eoation schedules 
TOMARPftOOUCTfONS. INC 
PO Box 740671 
OaHas. TX 75374 
(214)750-1212 


SOFTWARE 


SCIENTinC 


MATRIX 100 

Powerful Mainx operations with sm^ siale- 
menis m IBM PC BASIC Perform mutliple 
regression, solve simunaneous equations, m- 
vert matrices, elc MATRIX 100 commands are 
fast reliable and easy to use Price $80 6087 
support $125. compiler support $250 ($4 ship- 
pmg & handling CA res. add 6 5% lax ) 
STANFORD BUSINESS SOFTWARE, INC 
4151 Middiefiekt Rd . Suite 215 
Palo AJto.CA 94303 
(415)424-9499 

HP-PC HYPER-CALCULATOR 
Activate errujiaiion of an HP- 11C programmable 
screniific calculalor from any program and re- 
turn with the results Features program and data 
storage on disk, indirect addressing, alpha-nu- 
menc messages, printing, on-hne HELP 100 
registers, and 1.000-siep programs, includes 
programs for sotvmg roots, numerical integra- 
tion complex numbers, matrices, base conver- 
sion, itme/money problems $3995 
SUNDERLAND SOFTWARE ASSOOATES 
PO Box 7000-64 
Redondo Beach, Ck 90277 
(213)540-2567 


SOFTWARE 


SECURITY 


SECURE YOUR PC WITH IN-USE 

iN-USE IS a software keyboard locli tor your PC. 
XT AT or compatible With IN-USE you may dis- 
able the keyboard while applications still con- 
tinue to execute Great tor any situation where 
mterruption ot program is to be controlled May 
be er^abied at boot to prevent unauthorued ma- 
chine access Only $^95 
AUROTECH INCORPORATED 
925 South Niagara St . Suite 100 
Denver, C080224 (303) 388-1612 


PROTECTED BY THE CIAII 

ConiroBed Information Access-a complete se- 
curity system with multiple levels Hide/erwrypt 
tiles, proteci entire diskettes with passwords, 
personal secunlycodes. copy protection Use any 
or all 5 methods on every system/dala disk 64K 
(DOS 1 X) 128K (DOS 2 X) $49 VISA/MC 
MICRO-RESEARCH SOFTWARE 
9758 Longview Drive 
EHicott City. MD 21043 
(301)465-8115 

E-Z-CRYPTAUTO 

E-Z-Crypt aulomatcallv encrypts your private 
datafiles and programs allowing you to use them 
m your encrypted (orm Real lime encryption is 
transparent to word processing, spreadsheet and 
others. DOS 2 0 or later $49 95 VISA/MC 24 hr 
toll tree (800) 423-6837 In TX caU (800) 526- 
9269 

AUTOMATA, INC 
PO Box 461047 
Garland. TX 75046 
(214)475-2642 


PASSWORD CONTROL YOUR PC'S 

PC LOCK allows tile by tile password and en- 
cryption protection With the kxk in place, your 
computer will not bool without entering a cor- 
rect PW Ideal tor small multi-user environ- 
ments A 5' X 4' card with diskette. 16 
changeable passwords Three versions from 
$149 DES optional KEEP YOUR PC STRICTLY 
PERSONAL 


Lock 


MPPt. LTD 
2200 Lehigh Rd 
Glenview, IL 60025 
(312)998-8401 


NEW! LOW COST XT SECURITY 

L0CK-IT-$129 95 PC or XT (Specify) Prevenis 
BOOT-UP until user-chosen PW is entered 
Special features-hardware device, optional hard- 
disk-(MLY bool, optional limed relock ALSO 
AVAILABLE PCRESET(XTorPC}withQUlCKON 
(fast boot plus true reset) $69 95 EASY mslal- 
lation MC/VISA 

SECURITY MICROSYSTEMS CONSULTANTS 
16 Flagg Pi , Suite 102 PC 
Staten island, NY 10304 
(718)667-1019 


SOFTWARE 

SERVICES 


TAPE TO DISK CONVERSION 

Convert any 9 track magnetic tape to or trom over 
200 formats mcludtng 3V 5Vi', 8‘ disk tor- 
mats and word processors Formats available 
include IBM-PC. APPLE. Altos. TflSBO 8' CP/M. 
Di^iaywr , IBM SYS/^. Macintosh, Wang. LA- 
NEIR. OS/6 and 200 more Disk to disk conver- 
sions also avail CaH lor more info 
PtVAfi COMPUTING SERVICES. INC 
47 W Dundee Rd 
Whe^ing. Illrnos 60090 
(312)459-6010 


SOFTWARE 

SORT 


OPT-TECH SORT/MERGE 

Extremely last Sort/M^ge program tor the IBM- 
PC. XT /AT Can sort or merge multiple tiles con- 
taining lixed or variable length records Run as 
a DOS command or call as a subroutine, plus 
many other features Now also sorts dBASE II 
flies' Compare before you buy any other Write 
or call lot more into $^ 

OPT-TECH DATA PROCESSING 
PO 80x2167 
Humble. TX 77347 
(713)454-7428 


SOFTWARE 


SPREADSHEETS 


EASY COLOR - FOR 1-2-3 

Customi» your Lotus 1-2-3 screen with vivid 
ctAxs Easy Color' lets you control color ot 
toregiound/background. protected cells, bor- 
ders. help screens, graphs, etc Requues IBM PC 
or XT. color monilor and Lotus 1-2-3 ver 1A 
$1995 • $2 ship It res add 6% lax Check or 
mor)ey order 

THE BINARY WORKSHOP 
Department 101 
PO Box 694 
Uibana IL 61801 

FORMAT 1-2-3 

* Loads ANY ASCII data into Lotus 

* 1 -2-3 and Symphony Utility' 

*Send spreadsheets usmg E-Mail' 

♦On line Help System' 

♦Runs on PC. XT, AT, and lookalikes' 

♦L xiended Warranty Available' 

♦DOS 20 ’ with 64K. 1 dnve 
♦$100, $150 with Warranty. MC, VISA. CK 
♦RELIABLE SOFTWARE COMPANY 
East Ckiasi West Coast 

PO Box 0 PO Box 649 

Titusville, FL 32781 Marina, CA 93933 

(305)267-2043 (800)235-6547 

(800) 235-6646 Ext 561(nal)Ext 581 (CA) 


SOFTWARE 

STATISTICS 


SIGSTAT 

SIGSTAT includes over 30 programs ot the 6MD 
statistical series, plus many advanced new fea- 
tures Mainframe capacity (up to 80 var ) tor 
uni— (e g . AN(}VA. regression) > multivariate 
(e g . canonical, factor) analyses, time-series, 
multidim scaling, crosstab. pkXs. q/cand more 
6067 support opt 2S6K. DOS. $595 
SIGNIFICANT STATISTICS 
3336 N Canyon Road 
Provo, UT 84604 
(801)377-4860 

BRISK $99 

• Multiple Stepwise Regression 39 variables 

• ANOVA 10 laciots. with repeated measures 

• Cross tabulation with interactive collapse ol 
rows & columns & Chi squared • 9 others 

• Many more statistics 

• 40 variables, 32,000 cases 

• 40 data Iransformalons and a complete set ol 
data management ulikties 

• 30 day money back guarantee. ViSA/MC 
CRUNCH SOFTWARE CORPORATION 
(415)564-7337 


340 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 



BLUEBOOK 


NWA STATPAK 

Powerlitl ilata manipulation utilities. ASCII data 
strucluie ta mtedace to databases, word pro- 
cessors. etc Statistical lunctions mciude prob- 
ability. desaiptive statistics, regression and 
correlation, nort-parametncs. disirtution furtc- 
tions. means testing, survey data analysis. & 
AN0VAS495 

NORTHWEST ANALYTICAL. INC 
520 NW Davis St 
Portland OR 97209 
(503)224-7727 

ELF-THE STATISTICAL PKG. 

Reads & writes Visi-Caic. SuperCalc. Mulliplan. 
dBase II. etc Does Factor Analysis. Principal 
Components Oiscrimmanl Anati^s. Stepwise 
Regressiorr. ANOVA (1 & 2 way), correlations, 
probabilities. t-Test. crosstabs. Freguenoes. 
Transtormations. permanent Database, and 
more MC/V1SA 

THE WINCHENDON GROUP INC 
PO Box 10339 
Alexandria. VA 22310 
(703)960-2587 

RATS Statistical Package 
RATS brings powertui and irtexpensrve statisti- 
cal and econometric computing to the PC II is a 
last, accurate package thal perlorms regression 
analysis, time-seres torecastmg. including Box- 
Jenkms. and cross-section analysts, including 
logii and prcAit RATS can read daia m many 
lorms. includirtg Lotus WKS tiles RATSalso ot- 
ters progtammir>g features that provide maxi- 
mum llexibiltty and power Spectral analysis and 
graphics are available as options Requires ^ 
K RAM IBM or compatible Base program $200 
Demo including 300 page manual $40 MC/ 
VISA 

VAR Econometrics 
143 Prospect Ave S 
Minneapolis, MN 55419 
(612)822-9690 

THE SURVEY SYSTEM 
An easy to use. menu driven systen lor the en- 
try. editing, processing and presentation ot 
questionnaire data The system can produce 
crosstabs and scores n banner lormal. stalis- 
lics and bar charts Tables and charts are cam- 
era-ready lor professional presentation Card 
readers and open-end codir^/analysis (^lions 
available 

CREATIVE RESEARCH SYSTEMS 
1649 Del Oro 0^1 P 
Petaluma, CA 94952 
(707) 765-1001 

MSUSTAT 

40 Procedures— multiple regression, ANOVAS. 
multiple comparisons, analysts ot counts, non- 
parametncs. plols Op^tionaBy simple but with 
leatutes lor professionals Evaluations m Sci- 
ence Software Quarterly. The American Statrs- 
lician. and Comp Slat and Data Anal MS/PC- 
DOS I128K) and CP/M-80 at $192 50 
THE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT INST . INC 
MontanaStateUniversity.Ailn RE Lund 
Boreman MT 59717-0002 
(406)994-3271 


SOFTWARE 

STOCK 

ANALYSIS 


WINNING ON WALL STREET 

Fast easy, sophisticaled system tor making 
money m the market TRADER'S DATA MAN- 
AGER. dala base tor all secunties Aulo down- 
load TRADER'S FORECASTER, technical 
analysis Charing TRADER S ACCOUNTANT. 10 
Reports Simulations WINNING ON WALL 
STREET-THE COMPLETE SYSTEM, integrates 
all three $15 DEMO 
SUMMA SOFTWARE 
PO 80x2046 
Beaverton, OR 97075 
In OR. (503)644-3212.(800) 792-2211 


SOFTWARE 

STRATEGIC 

PLANNING 


EXPERT CHOICE- 

For executives at all levels ot management: stra- 
tegic. tactical and operational Supports com- 
plex decisions based on obiecbve and subjective 
ntormation about criteria and alternatives Uses 
strategic planning, arbitration, resource aHoca- 
tion. employee evaluation and R&O planning. 



Oeosion Support Software. Inc 
1300 Vincent Placc-Dept C 
McLean, VA 22101 
(703)442-7900 
(800)368-2022 


SOFTWARE 

TAXES 


TIME TRACKER 

Keep track ot computer usage and prepare re- 
ports tor both business and home, (ian be used 
lor monitoring usage, justifying the purchase ot 
additional computers, preparing a log tor Ihe new 
IRS wTiie-olt rule, and more IBM PC and com- 
patibles $23 95 VISA/MC/CHECK. FREE 
BRXHURE! 

KO WARE. Dept 30 
PO Box 712 
DeKalb. IL60115 
(815)756-6286 


TAXTIME- for Lotus 1-2-3- 
(formally Tax 4-5-6) 

• 1040-REG 256K $35 

1040 A. B. C. D. G, SE (2). W, 6251. t IRA, EIC 

• 1040-PflO 320K $95 

Above terms • C. E. F, R. 2106. 2210, 2441, 3468. 
3903. 4562 , 4797 4952 & 5695 Automatic 
support stalemenls Multi C. F. &4562. All forms 
can be sent to IRS 

• CALIF-540 256K $95 

Stale lorms 540. 540NR, A. 0. CEF. D-1, G, H. P. 
R. 3514, 3805L. N. U. X. 3885, & 5805 Can be 
merged with 1040 if 512 K memory 

• NY-201 /203 256K $95 

New York lorms IT-201, 201ATT. plus non-res 
203. 203ATT. NYC 203. t12fl. 220. 250. 360 

• COflP-1120 320K $195 

1120. 1120S, C. 0. W. 2220, 3468, 4255. 4562, 
4626, 4604, 4797. K-1 Two programs in one 
package Available m March 1965 

• PAfiTNER-1065 256 Kt $195 

1065, D,F.K.K-1s. 4684, 4797 Slorcsmdiv data 
for each partner & prints K-ls Can add State 
into Available February 1965 

GENERAL INFORMATION 

All lorms look like the real ones & are highly in- 
tegrated tor minimum entry duplication Change 
or^e entry & all others are updated m 10 secs 
Most are IRS/Slate appvd Good for tax plan- 
ning since tax totals are always shown on bot- 
tom screen wirxlow Extensive use ot menus & 
macros = easy mput & output Requires LOTUS 
123/1A (tm-Lotus Develop Co ) and memory 
listed. Annual updates $45-$75 

TAXTIME 'by Austin Saentilic, Inc 
1259 El Cammo. Suite 2606 
Menlo Park. CA 94025 
USA (800) 227-2634 x 998 
CALIF (000) 772-2666 x 998 


SOFTWARE 

TERMINAL 

EMULATION 


BARR/HASP INTELLIGENT RJE 
WORKSTATION 

Bundled hardware and software lor IBM PC. XT 
and AT Transmitsdatatohost and receives out- 
put simultaneously Emulates IBM 3777-2 and 
HASP on IBM 360/20. Line Speed 1200to 19200 
Baud (56 KB on AT). Supports multiple high- 
speed printers beyond 2400 Ipm (700 ipm on AT) 
Features menu-dnven. printer forms control, 
plotier support, unatlerx^ operation, easy in- 
stallation S890com(Pete 
BARR SYSTEMS, INC. 

2500 Blue Ridge Road. Suite 315 
Raleigh, NC 27607 
(0OO)-BAfi-SYS/(9l9l 782-4462 


TC-LINK 

The TC-3274 Clusler can be used on all IBM PC's 
or compatibles 1. 3. or 5 station clusters from 
$769 Features Extended color Resident SNA. 
Apphcaion mtertace. Hot Key. Full Gateway, Fast 
File Transfer. Multiple LU’s. TC-3276 Single user 
Emulator is only ^19 Over 5000 SNA & Bl- 
SYNC sold Worldwide 
TRtSYSTEMS CORPORATION 
31 Williams Street 
Newton Upper Falls. MA 02164 
(617)965-6006 


THE IMPERSONATOR 

The most flexible terminal emulation program 
User can modify one ot the 12 emulations con- 
lamed in the package VT100. IBM 3101 & TV 
950 or custom design additional ones with the 
built-m communications 'language ' Virtually 
unlimited asynchronous capability For the IBM 
PC and compatibles $245 - sAh MC/VISA/ 
COD MSOOl 443-8080 



direct-aid 


DIRET AID. INC 
PO Box 4420 
Boulder. CO 60306 
(303)442-8080 


REALIATERMULATOR 

Turn your PC, JR, XT AT mto a DEC VT100 Of 
VT52. and gam file transfer (with full error de- 
tection and recovery) witri Modem-2 protocol, key 
redefinition. PC color and character graphics 
capabilities, set-up from command line or ini- 
tialization tile, use ot COM 1 or CX)M 2 port, at 
speeds up to 9600 baud $95 
REALIA. INC 

10 South Riverside Plaza 
Chicago. IL 60606 
(312)346-0642 


VTIOO on PC. jr. XT. AT 

ZSTEMpe-VT 100 Smart Terminal Emulator 
132 columns by windowing— no addit hard- 
ware Double High/Double Wide Characters 
Complete VTIOO Ime graphics & Smooth scroll 
Full keyboard sotIkeys/MACROS 
Bidirectional file transfers including XMODEM 
Speeds to 384K6 High throughput $15000 
Quantity, dealer disaxjnis available 30 day 
money back guarantee. MC/Visa accepted 
KEA SYSTEMS LTD 
w4t2-2150W Broadway 
Vancouver. BC. Canada V6K 4L9 
Support (604) 732-7411- 
Ofdefdesk-(0OO) 663-8702 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11. 1985 


341 


BLUEBOOK 


SOFTWARE 


TYPESETTING 


HIGH-TECH TYPESETTING 

Transmit your text via totl-frec lines directty to 
our fully automated typesetting system S2 per 
K ctiaraclers witn a is mmimum Same day 
service 200 typefaces in sizes up to 72 point 
Send S15 • $3 shipping for our 220 page 
guiOeOook. or can toll free and use yoif MC. VISA 
or AMEX 

INTEGRAPHICS INC 
106A South Columbus Street 
Alexandria. VA 22314 

(800) 368-3342 or (703) 683-9414 in DC area 


SOFTWARE 


UTILITIES 


COPY PROTECTION BY NISO 

The ULTIMATE diskette copy protection system 
designed lor software develops and publish- 
ers A variety of protection methods are avail- 
able to suit your protection requirements Ail IBM 
PC and XT environments are suppcKted which 
includes DOS. BASIC (compiled and interpre- 
tive) Pascal, P-Syslem. dBASE ll and stand-alone 
systems Customized systems also available 
Requires 64K. two disk drives 

IXVSaI 

MICRO-SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS. INC 
214V< West Mam Sheet 
Si Charles, Illinois 60174 
(312)377-5151 

REALIASPACEMAKER 

One oi Peter Nortons "favorite programs*' 
Compress EXE and COM files, so programs 
need fewer diskettes and load faster Signfi- 
cantly reduces any program with large data or 
stack segments Use instead of EXE26fN When 
DOS loads the compressed file. Spacemaker 
aulomalicaity expands it S75 
REALIA, INC 

10 South Riverside Plaza 
Chicago. IL 60606 
1312)346-0642 

MULTIPLE FONTS FOR EPSON 

Print any text tile in a variety of character styles 
and sizes using the DigiCon Print Package &e- 
ate new fonts with its mieracdve char editor Also 
prints sideways Use for brochures, booklets, 
letters even signs and banners' Quck printer 
setup ulilily 100 Easy menus, online help S4995 
(PA. 6%). chk/MO 
DIGITAL CONCEPTS. INC 
POB8345.Deoi B 
Pittsburgh, PA 15218 
(412)823-8314 


DOS PATH Command for Data 

Now Lotus 1-2-3. dBASE II. WordStar and most 
others can access data files no matter where they 
are located! Works with hard disks ram disks, 
and floppies DPATH is a system stay-resident 
function that allows you to organize your disk any 
way you like includes a screen-onented main- 
tenance utility & a user manual DOS 2 O/com- 
pat $25 * $2 shipping & handling 
PERSONAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS INC 
PO Box 757 
Frederick. MD 21701 
(301)865-3376 

SYMD; SYMBOLIC DEBUGGER 

SYMD simplifies debugging by utilizing source 
symbols and line numbers SYMD also lets you 
Display lest program output on separate Flip- 
scre^ Examine/change real numbers. Assign 
permanent breakpoints. Backtrace instruction 
sequences. Profile your program to fmd htf spots 
And much more Priced at only $125 
D.V SYSTEMS 
400 Amherst St 
Nashua. NH 03063 
(603)681-7140 

NOBLINK- 

EfGo NoMiCs' Eye strain’ With )ust a keystroke 
you can change your blinking cursor into a 
Inendly solid block reverse video cursor Give your 
eyes a rest! $29 95 plus $5 s&h For further in- 
formation see advertiser index listing for 
Nostradamus 
NOSTRADAMUS 
5320 South 900 East 
Salt Lake City. UT 84121 
(801)261-0769 

COPYWRITE 

CopyWrile backs up hundreds of the most pop- 
ular copy-protected programs for the IBM PC 
CopyWnfe is revised monthly to keep up vnth the 
latest m copy protection, and comes with a trade- 
in otter II needs an IBM PC. I28k and one disk 
dnve. but can use more memory or another disk 
drive $50 US Check/Credit Cards 
QUAID SOFTWARE LIMITED 
45 Charles Street E 3rd Floor 
Toronto. Ontario, Canada M4Y 1S2 
(416)916-6243 

CONTROL YOUR HARD DISK 

FMS provides control ot your hard disk through 
Back-up. Archive. Restore. Scratch and Brovrse 
facibies Easy fiie/dirBCtory seiection/review and 
edit IS provided along with an On-line catalog ol 
ott-ioaded hies System is menu-drii.en with help 
facility intro, price is $80. VISA/MC or check. 
MICRO-MAIN SOFTWARE. INC 
535 S Washington St . Sle 207 
Naperville, IL 60540 
(312) 369-9298 

MACROMENU.EXE 

A Inendly edit screen creates stand-alone ma- 
chine language programs which pop menus on 
the screen and program function keys in OOS 
Workson graphics or monochromatic displays 
Swap active screens with graphics displays 
Better than simple batch file menus OOS 2 + $25 
■ $3 s/h, NY tax rl applicable 
GENESEE SOFTWARE 
4967 Booher Hilt Rd 
Geneseo, NY 14454 
(716)243-0701 


PERSONAL COPIER " 

Personal Copier copies EVERYTHING' and, our 
monthly tradenn offer GUARANTEES that yoo re 
up to date with new and ever changing protec- 
tion methods Fully automatic with easy-to-use 
two-step graphic screen instructions anyone 
can use it Every IBM PC used should have one 
$4995 - $3 s/h, MC/VISA STOP SHUFFLING 
FLOPPIES WITH DISK-LESS- The sure way to 
transfer copy protected software to convenient 
hard disks Operates witn Lotus 1-2-3, Sym- 
phony. Sidekick, Electric Disk, and more call 
tor our complete list Another P&sonal product 
from Disk-Tech See our display ad m this issue. 

DSmEZH 


OISK-TECH- 
PO Box 162 
Wasco, IL 60183 
(312)365-2803 

COPY II PC 

Copy II PC IS the backup insurance you need to 
protect yoi^ software investment Copy II PC 
makes a backup of rnosi protected software 
quickly & easily, and even allows several to be 
run from a hard disk (call for current list). For IBM 
PC, XT, AT, 256K |r. Also available for Apple II. 
Mac,C64 $3995 • $3s/hV!SA/MC/check 

CerMFbint 

Software 

CENTRAL POINT SOFTWARE. INC 
9700 SW Capitol Hwy,#10O8 
Portland, OR 97219 
(503)244-5782 

PEEKS N POKES... and more! 
Thousands ol programmers enhance their pro- 
grams and save time with PEEKS N POKES' The 
disk (58 programs) & manual show you how to 
access and modify system status. p(^orm DOS 
& BIOS function calls from BASIC or Pascal, and 
much more for only $30 Want more? A perfect 
companion package. THE INSIDE TRACK, gives 
your programs assembler-assisted speed plus 
control over the keyboard, memory, programs, 
etc Disk (61 programs) & manual for iust $45 
Shipping $2 50/order MC/VISA 
DATA BASE DECISIONS 
14 Bonnie Lane 
Atlanta. GA 30328 
(404)256-3860 


STATPLAN II 

Statistical software Easy to use. menu driven, 
full screen data entry and editing, complete 
graphics displays, cross tabs. ^OVA, multiple 
regression, curve filling exponential smoothing, 
seasonality Interfaces with Lotus 1-2-3. dBase 
II. Ill and ASCII files Only $99 
THE FUTURES GROUP 
76 Eastern Blvd 
Glastonbury, CT 06033 
(203)633-3507 


FAST, SMART XT BACKUP 

BAKUP ' does daily backups in less than 5 mm; 
a full (10MB) backup m less than 30 min. Uses 
floppy disks, cartridge disks, etc. on XT, AT or 
compatible Unique catalog of backed up tiles 
speeds restoration & prints backup reports In- 
cludes 50 diskette labels 30-day money-back 
guarantee $149 95. Visa, M/C, TO or COO. 

Bakup 

InfoTools. Inc 

For more info, (408) 725-1151 
To order (800) 538-8157 Ext 801 (USA) 

(800)672-3470 Ext 801 (Calif) 

PROGRAMMER 

The First RESIDENT' BASIC Guide created lor ALL 
programmers from novice to expert One key. 
during programming, opens a window to sim- 
ple. yet detailed explanations of all BASIC & DOS 
Commands, a tech guide & lull screen ASCII ta- 
ble Simple to enter, use and exit PROGRAM- 
MER will revolutionize your BASIC programming 
Throw away the manuals for $49 95 MC/Visa 
For PC. XT. AT, Jr & Compat 
T-SYSTEM SOFTWARE 
PO Box 9449 

Washington, DC 20016-9449 
(301)951-9461 

COMPUTER TIME USAGE LOG 

PCLOG I IS an integrated set ot functions for 

computer actrvity accourtabihty with seven fields 

of information Support for single or multi-user/ 

terminal/environmeni printer and editor utilities 

along with SORT is included PCLOG I is easy- 

to-use, fully seit-coniamed computer usage log 

$49 95 ^shipping 

OAK TREE TECHNOLOGIES 

2619 Quail Valley Rd 

Solvang, 093^3 

(805)688-1495 


dWINDOW^ 

Is an 6K assembly language program adding 20 
NEW WINDOWING SYNTAX statements to 
dBASE II 

• User defined in-memory and disk-based, tree- 
structured WINDOW files 

• Executable DOS command at prompt 

• CAPTURE tull/part screen 

• Create Menus with READ BAR capability 

• Character Graphics 

• Fully compatible with dBase II PRG files 
Spec (IBM-PC, XT Of AT) (dBASE II vs 2.4 or 
241) 

$135 00 ($3 50 shipping) check, MC or Visa 

I JBERTY RELL 

SOFTWARE 

LIBERTY BELL PUBLISHING 
PO Box 69306 Dept A 
Portland. Oregon 97201 
(503)241-2211 


342 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 



BLUEBOOK 


TOOLS, TOOLS, TOOLS 

Tools to make Nfe easier! Easy to use. last, user 
friendly. Sorted directory, generate string from 
orw k^. Make files Read-only/Hbden/Nol hid- 
den. Ramdisk. Command timers. Find errors on 
disk. File compare. Search aH directories for files. 
Search aU files for string. Display disk parame- 
ters. Dump tile in hex. Usable Directory TREE. 
Set block cursor. MC/Visa. AH tor $89. 

ALPS 

23 Ar>gus Road 

Warren, New Jersey 07060 

(201)647-7230 

MENU SYSTEM MANAGER 

Professional system management via USER 
CREATED MENUS. Invoke any DOS command 
or program filertame. (.EXE.C0M.BAT) with 
PASSWORD SECURITY. AUTOMATIC LOG for any 
menu entry stores Date. Time. User Id. Com- 
mand Invoked, Purpose Access. Menus con- 
tain no commercial inlorTnation, (makes YOU look 
good). $129.00. M/C. VISA. Chk. 

6URDAK Software Development 
158-6 Mereline Avenue 
West Paterson. NJ 07424 
(201)785-2498 

NEW! 12 UTILITIES IN ONE! 

FILE MATE helps you copy files between differ- 
ent word processors and more! Powerful text 
sifting and paragraph reformatting commands 
can be custom tailored for your application. File 
integrity checks include HEX/ASCII file com- 
pare, two binary dumps, and CRC $29.95 + $3.00 
S/H. 

INTERSECTING CONCEPTS. INC. 
4573Heatherglen Ct. 

Moorpark. CA 93021 
(805)529-5073 

MEDIA MASTER 

READ, WRITE, and FORMAT over TOdmerentCP/ 
M and MS-DOS diskettes on your I8M PC or 
compatible using simple menu steps. MEDIA 
MASTER allows you to copy files, display direc- 
tories, and type, erase, and print fite on 'for- 
eign' diskettes. See your IBM dealer or send 
$39.95 + $3.00 S/H to: 

INTERSECTING CONCEPTS. INC. 
4573HealherglenCt. 

Moorpark. CA 93021 
(805)529-5073 

SCREEN SNAPSHOTS!! 

Snap a picture of your screen with a single key. 
Easy page forward and backwards to recall up 
to 10 screen pages. Screens can be saved and 
recalled at any time, even within applications! 
Optional Color and Mono at same time for side 
by side viewing. MC/Visa. $49. ($69 tor 2 
displays). 

ALPS 

i 23 Angus Road 
I Warren. New Jersey 07060 
I (201)647-7230 


MULTIPLE DIRECTORY BACKUP 

Fast Automatic BACKUP of All DIRECTORES 
with a single command. Select files by modified 
DATE. MODIFIED flag, or NJ. files (your choice). 
Directory structure of backup disk determines 
what directories wtH be backed up. Simply pop 
ki your backup disk, issue one rammand, and 
fite are automatically copied. Backup files are 
EXACT COPIES ol original. Keeps backups per- 
fectly organized. Absolutely a must lor hard disk 
users! Floppy users loo! MC/Visa. $86. 

ALPS 

23 Angus Road 
Warren. New Jersey 07060 
(201)647-72» 

AFFORDABLE SOFTWARE 

TIME JOURNAL-Keeps a log ol computer usage 
by project ID. 

INVOICE-Prepare simple pre-formatted in- 
voices for small businesses. 

DRMAlN'Build a simple database for keeping 
directory related information. 

$30 each. For more information call or write 
RESOURCE ANALYSIS 
P.O.Box 2700 

Huntington Beach, CA 92647 
(714) 848-6686 

How $19 can save YOU time 

Organize now! Buy these first rate utilities! 

• Menu one $19 a fast menu for floppy systems 

• Menu two $39 a multi level menu for hard disk 

• Draw one $39 a powerful mono drawing tool 

• DOS one $19 an easy way to do DDS 
commands 

• Key one $29 a choice keyboard macro helper 
MC/Vi$a/Check. TX + 5)^%. Write or call & save. 
NATIONAL SOFTWARE ASSOQATES 

4500 Lamer 

The Colony. TX 75056 

(214)370-7158 

Hard Dtik DIRECT ACCESS" 

The ULTIMATE utility tor any hard dtefc user. DI- 
RECT ACCESS is a powerful hard disk manage- 
rnent tool. Organizes yoij software programs Into 
a 'user defined* menu system. Features attrac- 
tive saeen display, rapid access into an appH- 
catlon using a single keystrokes easy to learn. 
Also handles batch lies & complicated DOS 
commands. Order today. Only SN.95 •+ $5.00 
shipping. MC/VISA. 


DELTA TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL INC. 

PO Box 1104 

Eau Claire, Wl 54702 

(715)832-0956 

HP LaserJet Setup UtilRy 

SETHP: a simple menu-driven and/or batch utility 
that allows full control over your HP LaserJet 
printer. Supports 7 lont cartridges. Control mar- 
gins. number of copies, lines per inch, lines per 
page. etc. Over 125 commands. Only $49.95 + 
$4 S/H. CHECK/VISA/MC Ninois residents add 
$3.12 sales tax. 

ORBIT ENTERPRISES INC. 

POBox 2B75-M 
Glen EUyn.lL 60138 
(312)469-3405 


INTEGRATED CONSOLE UTILITY 

FANSI-CONSOLE* faster screen writing thru 
PCDOS or BIOS (1.3-3.0+). larger X3.64 subset 
than ANSI. SYS. UT100/52 keys, more type- 
ahead. auto screen disable, no scroll blink for 
some adeptors. window support, keyboard 
breakpts & macros. sooN recai Shareware disk 
$25 or disk & 250 p. manual $50 (Ml + 4%). 
MC/VISA. 

HERSEY MICRO CONSULTING INC. 

RO. Box 8276 
Ann A/bor, Ml 48107 

(313) 994-3259 voice. 994-3946 BBS (11pm- 
8am) 

SCREEN DESIGN MADE EASY!! 

Screen Generator and Processor for BASIC pro- 
grammers. This package combines a Screen 
Painter for aeating and modifying screens and 
Macro Language and Compiler lor quicker cod- 
ing and testing. Features COLOR, field vari- 
ables, complete input editing, line drawing. For 
BASIC. BASICA. and BASIC Compiler users. In- 
cludes manual and reference card. $99.95 VISA/ 
MC accepted. 



G. FREEMAN & COMPANY INC. 

15Alb(nRoad 
Stamford. CT 06902 
(203)327-9868 

PADLOCK/PADLOCK 11 DISKS 

R\OLOCK furnishes the user with a method for 
providing protection against unauthorized du- 
plication Irorn DOS commands $99. PAOLXK 
11 disks come preformatted with finger-print and 
serialization. PADLOCK II disks offer superior 
protection. Ask about our PRIVATE TALK prod- 
uct. All work with hard disk. EXE/COM files and 
all DOS versions. MC/VISA. 

GLENCO ENGINEERING 
3920 Rkfge Are. 

Arlington Hts.. R. 60004 
(312)392-2492 

SCREEN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 

SMS is simply the best utility available tor de- 
signing. using, and saving color/monochrome 
screens. GOSUB's are supplied in BASIC to in- 
put, output, and edit saeen data fields. Loads 
of extra features. We have been in business 15 
years, winning many awards tor pro^amming 
excellence. Price $195. demo $50. Manual $10. 
VISA/MC. PC/XT/PC if./64K/1 Disk. 

DNA SYSTEMS. INC. 

PO. Box 1424 
Saginaw, Ml 48605 
(517)793-0185 

VITAMIN C WITH WINDOWS 

Stop struggling. Complete screen I/O and win- 
dows lor Lattice C. Formatted input, virtual win- 
dows. attribute control, process while awaiting 
input, date/time math arid more. Does the work 
ol products twice the price. No royalties. In- 
cludes source and great manual! Special (rffer: 
$89.95 + shipping. 

CREATIVE PROGRAMMING 
P.O.Box 112097 
Carrolton.TX 75011-2097 
(214)783-9366 


BACKUP RESTORE 

Backup database or other files from a Winches- 
ter to a ftoppy under concurrent CP/M and/or 
CP/M 86. • Automatic volume managemeni • 
Selective file bado^/restore • Database backup/ 
restore • Compression reduces space required 
to store data. Requires IBM PC/XT or clone with 
128K RAM. one diskette drive and Winchester 
disk. To order use MC/VISA or send $99 to; 

SOFTWMe MC 

23ll«or»WHC»il*>*iii*L«aM C* WDS 


AWARD SOFTWARE INC. 
236 North Santa Cruz Ave. 
Los Gatos, CA 95030 
(408)395-2773 


10 MEGABYTES/8 MINUTES 

That's how fast FASTBACK'* can back up your 
PC/XT/AT or compatible hard disk system. Uses 
your present 5Vi' disk drive-nothing else to buy. 
Works with ANY hard disk. Try it tor 10 days at 
our risk-unconditional money-back guarantee. 
$149 VISA/MC, check, money order or C.O.D. 
Free literature 

FIFTH GENERATION SYSTEMS 
7942 Picardy #B-350 
Baton Rouge. LA 70809 
(504)767-0075 


SOFTWARE 

WORD 

PROCESSING 


PC-WRITE" 

Features: wordwrap, search/reptace, justify, 
block move/copy/delete, headers/footers, etc. 
Help screen, quick ref card. 100 page manual. 
Split saeen. edit two files at once. Disk with 
software and manual $10; registration with sup- 
port, source. andcommissions$75. Shareware: 
can copy and share with others. Visa/MC. 
QUICKSOFT 
219 First North IV224C 
Seattle. WA 98109 
(206)282-0452 

MY WORD! IS JUST $25! 

MY WORD! is a WS-like word processor for the 
IBM PC/XT/JR a compatible (even Tandy 2000) 
Sort, mail merge, quick print; use 256 diar.l Wad 
wrap. 100+ operations, won’t lose text, ASCII 
files. Manual with index included. Full source 
code: just $25 mae! New! My Wad! Extended 
ver. Includes customization program, built-in 
calculata. utilities, mae. fa $35; source $35. 
96K. 1 drive. DOS 1.1. 2.0. Z\ 3.0 30-day money- 
back guarantee! 

TN.T SOFTWARE. INC. 

34069 Hainesville Road 
Round Lake, IL 60073 
(312)223-0832 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 


343 









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PC Product Index 


RS# PRODUCT ADVERTISER PAGE# 

DISK OPERATING SYSTEMS 

124 Combo Unit Corvus Software 163 

202 Bernoulli Boy IOMEGA 23 

537 QIC-Ol QIC Research Inc 262-263 

537 QIC-04 QIC Research Inc 262-263 


ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE 

148 Accounting Software Dac Software 171 

260 Versa Business Series H & EComputronics. Inc 364 

245 Accounting Software In-House Software 253 

168 Accounting Software MCBS 244 

169 Real World Software Real World Software 5 


INTEGRATED ACCOUNTING PACKAGES 

• Windows Indian Ridge Enterprises. Inc II 

470 DBase II/Acct. Software SBT Corp 16 


CO MMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE 

Remote Microstuf. Inc 259 

Crosstalk Micrt>siuf. Inc 18 

Miracle Micro-Systems Software 148 

411 Quadram 258 

199 My Task Third Floor Systems 106 

200 My Dialer Third Roor Systems 107 


TERMINAL EMULATORS 

109 Terminal Emulation Software 

System ID Systems Corp 69 


OTHER UTILITIES 

209 Apple Turnover Vertex Systems 259 

207 Pipeline Venex Systems 290 

208 Xcrwcopy Vertex Systems 276 


GRAPHIC SOFTWARE 

115 The Graf^ix Printer Brighibill-Roberts and Co 219 

324 Graff Hopper Data Business Vision. Inc 80 

325 The Gift of Sight-Model 700 DatacopyCoip 313 

158 Chart Master Decision Resources 108 

157 Sign Master Decision Resources 109 

127 Prcsenter-PC DICOMED 189 

1 34 Energraphics Enerironics Research 212-213 

136 Video Show General Parametrics 63 

140 Graphwriter Graphic Communications Inc 48-49 

151 PC Paintbrush IMSI 202 

160 Or. Halo Media Cybernetics 256 

311 PC Draw Micrografx 50 


INFORMATION MANAGERS 

112 Pop-Ups Bellestrfi 279 

326 Crosstalk Microstuf. Inc 18 


PROJECT MANAGERS 

187 Pn>jecl Planner Primavera Systems .M)9 

173 Super Project SorcinVlUS 223 


SOFTWARE FOR PROFESSIONALS 

119 Home Base Amber Systems. Inc 31 

149 Sidekick Borland International 267 

150 Super Key Borland International 268-269 

186 Software BPI Systems 209 

128 Gem Digital Research 19 

131 DeskTop Digital Research 241-243 


ENGINEERS/SCIENTISTS 

331 8087 Chip Microway 68 


WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE 

• Word Mienrsoft 100-101 

154 Word Perfect Satellite Software International (SSI) 32 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


RS# PRODUCT ADVERTISER PAGE# 

509 XYWRITE XyQuesi 280 

WORD PROCESSORS 

385 Volkswritcr Deluxe Lifetree Software 297 

WORD PROCESSING AIDS 

179 Pro Type Photon Software 272 

2 16 WtmJ ^ocessing Aids Writing Consultants 238 

MULTIFUNCTION SOFTWARE 

142 E-Z-DOS-IT Hammer Computer Systems 144-145 

270 Topview IBM PC Software 28-29 

272 Smart Software Innovative Software 104-105 

195 Double DOS SoftLogic Solutions 78 

144 Public Domain Software PC Software Interest Group 272 

INTEGRATED SOFTWARE 

153 Integrated Software Interface Technology Corp 294 

155 Wordmarc MarcSoftware Int'l 270-271 

191 Enable The Software Group 306-307 

474 Ability Xanaro Technologies. Inc 2-3 


LANGUAGES 

* Classic Cobol Microsoft. 


COMPILERS 

147 Turbo Pascal Compile Borland International 265 

• C Compiler Microsoft 247 


INTERPRETERS 

110 Keypatch GerKsi Technologies 238 


PROGRAMMER'S TOOLS 

141 Programmers Tools PC Brand 26-27 

1 96 Siarbridge DOS Starbridge Technologies 248 


DATA BASE MANAGERS 

210 dBasc4205 Ashioo-Tate 186-187 

218 Revelation Cosmos. Inc 102 

525 Knowledge Man MDBS 12 

* Database Manager Potomic & Pacific Engineering 4 

193 DataEase Software Solutions. Inc 277 


PROGRAM DEVELOPERyGENERATOR TOOLS 

172 Program Developer/Cerrerator 

Tools Software Bottling Company 70 

246 Quick Code III Fox&Geller 254 

268 Turbo Plus Nostradamus. Inc 97 


TEXT EDITORS 

182 SPF/PC Commarkl Technology Corp ...282 

378 Kedit Mansfield Software Group 290 


OTHER UTILITIES 

152 Copy II PC Central Point Software. Inc 276 

• Personal Copier Disk Tech 323 

303 LePrinl LeBaugh Software Corp 353 

164 Software MEF Environmental 327 

340 Disc Mechanic MLl Microsystems 323 

346 Norton Utilities Norton Utilities 292 

268 Hard Runner Nostradamus Inc 97 

268 NoBliak Nostradamus. IiK 97 

527 File Transfer Personal Computer Products 308 

• Vtx'ubulary Builders Potomic & Pacific Engineering 361 

• Copy write Quaid Software LTD 261 

196 Sti^ridge DOS Starbridge Technologies 248 


HARDWARE 

136 Video Show General Parametrics 63 

133 JDR Micro Devices JDR Micro Devices 286 


349 


Cc 


















PC PRODUCT INDEX 


RS# PRODUCT ADVKRTISER PAGE# 

IBM PC COMPATIBLE COMPUTERS 

• AT&T PC 6.100 AT&T InRmnation Systems 167 

231 Tclcviileo PC' TcIcVideo !7 


ACCESSORY CARDS 

227 Extend SeriiHis Digigraphic Systems Corp IH3 

103 Fast Card From Thesys Thesys MenH>ry Pnxlucls C»wp 22 


MULTIFUNCTION BOARD 

178 PC Btwd Interface 325 Ine 210 

101 Six Pak Plus AST Research 82-83 

537 OIC'-05 QIC Research 262-263 

354 BTGPlus Quhie 140-141 

247 AT 4X4 Plus Quhie 252 

197 Rio Plus II STB Systems. Inc C-3 

502 Maestro AT Teemar C-4 

540 Ullrapak Tseng Laborauwies. Inc 224 


VIDEO/GRAPHICS BOARD 

238 Genoa Spectrum Gemw Systems Corp 168 

145 Hercules Graphic CD Hercules Computer Technology 172 

146 Hercules CoUh Card Hereulcs Computer Technology 180 

• Miklular Graphics Card Paradise Systems. Inc 55 

533 Vid«>Graphics Board K' Products. Inc 236 


OTHER ACCESSORY CARDS 

537 QlC-06 QlCRcscan.-h. Inc 262-263 


EXPANSION UNITS 

163 Expansion System Everex Systems. Iik 9 

176 8087-Supp«)rt Microway 94 

539 P.C. Expander PC Horizons. Inc 245 


INPUT HARDWARE 

250 The Light Pen FTC Data Systems 69 

354 fr515l Keybtwrd Qubi<5 140-141 

506 Touchstone I Touchstone Technology. Inc 86 


INTERFACE DEVICES 

108 AudoPilot AudoPil(»tCo 323 


MASS STORAGE HARDWARE 

20 1 PC Backup Alloy Computer Products 179 

201 Microsystems International Alloy Computer Products 179 

225 AT Plus Core International 164 

1 1 1 Hard Disk & Tape Bac Emerald Systems Corp 301 

512 Combo Emulex-Persyst 190 

239 Hard Disk First Class Peripherals 71 

1 53 Disk Drives Interface Technology Corp 294 

132 Irwin Backup Irwin Magnetics 99 

* Megaflight Kamerman Labs 10 

159 Transport Maynard Electronics 39 

354 PC 10. PC 20 Hard Disks Qubi^ 140-141 

167 Drive Two Racore 246 

501 QuiC'60. Hard DLsk with 

Tape Backup Teemar C-2 


COMMUNICATIONS HARDWARE 

229 Communications Hardware Hayes Micnx.'omputer 56-57 

199 My Task Third FkK>r Systems 106 

200 My Dialer Third Floor Systems 107 


MODEM 

166 Pit) Modem 1200 Prometheus Products Inc 96 

537 QlC-03 QIC Research 262-263 

487 Quadmodem QuadrumCorp 258 

354 PC 212 A/1200 Internal 

Mtxlem Quhie 140-141 

354 1 200 E External Mtxlem Quhie 140-141 


NETWORKING 

177 PC Net Orchid Technology 205 


RS# PRODUCT ADVERTISER PAGE# 

192 Server Tech LAN Server Technology 288 

393 Multilink Advanced Sioftware Link. Inc 85 

OTHER COMMUNICATIONS HARDWARE 

122 DCAMicro DCA 24-25 

170 TracBall Disc Instruments 198 

DISPLAYS/MONITORS 

219 Princeton Monitors Princeton Graphic Systems 47 

220 Princeton Monitevs Princeton Graphic Systems 235 

22 1 Princeton Monitors Princeton Graphic Systems 227 

222 Princeton Monitors Princeton Graphic Systems 229 

223 PrirKclon Monitors Princeton Graphic Systems 231 

224 Princeton Monitors Princeton Graphic Systems 233 

181 Tatung Color Monitor Tatung 240 

PRINTERS 

106 Alpha Pro lOI Alphacom 95 

237 A-^ Printer Canon USA Inc 46 

203 Toshiba Printers Toshiba America. Inc 250-251 

DOT MATRIX 

113 Printers Citizen America Corp 147 

PLOTTERS. ETC. 

143 HP 7475 A Hewlett-Packard 197 

388 PC Pad Houston Instruments 184 

PRINTER DRIVERS 

175 Printer Boss Connecticut Software 84 

VOICE SYNTHESIZERS/SOUND RELATED 
HARDWARE 

215 Speech Synthesizer Votrax 238 

MEDIA 

180 Diskettes Polaroid ISO-ISI 

DI^ETT^ 

244 Mail Order Diskettes DISK WORLD!. Inc 330 

232 Mail Order Diskettes DISK WORLD!. Inc 293 

289 Dysan Diskettes Dysan 14 

230 Roppy Disk Maxell Corp. of America 1 

123 3M Diskettes Precision Data Products 323 

505 3M Diskettes 3M Data Recording Products 274-275 

139 Roppy Disk Verbatim 304 

ACCESSORIES 

118 Acces-sories C-Thru 257 

120 Accessories Computer Accessories 13 

* Curtis Accessories Curtis Manufacturing Co.. Inc 30 

204 Battery Back-Up TrippLiie 308 

KEYBOARD OVERLAYS 

• PC-DocuMaic Systems Management Assoc 298 

OTHER SUPPLIES 

121 DustCovers Contemporary Compuierwear 325 

161 KeyTt^ Hooleon Company 327 

353 Power Maker Topaz 255 

LITERATURE 

243 Periodicals Data Sources 278 

138 The Manual Management Information Source. Inc 296 

ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVICES 

102 In-stant Yellow Pages American Business Lists 291 

226 Electronic Mall CompuServe Information Services 42 

162 IBM Maintenance IBM-ISG Division 194 

198 Winchester Disk Drive Tallgrass Technologies 20-21 


Thf puhtiihrr doti nd assume am' liaMity for rmtrs or omissions in th* product index. 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE 11. 1985 

Cc, 


350 










BOOK REVIEW • WINN L. ROSCH 


Basic Repair for 
Your PC-Too Basic? 

Two new PC repair books help you scratch the PC's impenetrable surface 
and give you an idea of what might have gone wrong, 
but neither is much help in solving the problem. 


S ooner or later it’s going to happen 
to you. You’ll turn on your PC, 
and your every keystroke will re- 
sult in an error message. Or worse, it’ll 
send you smoke signals — big black puffs 
that mean some gremlin is making a meal 
of your microprocessor. 

Before you plead with the IBM Prod- 
uct Center, you’ll probably be tempted to 
pry the lid off and survey the damage, 
maybe even scrounge around for a hair- 
pin to put in the appropriate place to fix 
it. All you need to know is where. That’s 
where you’d expect this duo of do-it- 
yourself books to come in. Each one pur- 
ports to take you to the nirvana of know- 
ing enough electronic engineering to 
bring your system back from the dead. 

If you’re afraid of technical diatribes, 
you’ll like Henry Beechhold’s The Plain 
English Maintenance & Repair Guide 
for IBM Personal Computers. Reading 
through this light, almost conversational 
tome is a pleasant, fun dash. 

The book starts with a repairman’s 
primer of tools and parts, leads a sight- 



The Plain English Maintenance 
& Repair Guide for IBM 
Personal Computers 
Henry F. Beechhold 
Simon and Schuster, Inc. 

1230 Ave. of the Americas 

New York. NY 10020 

Copyright: 1985 

Cover Price: $14.95 

ISBN: 0-67 1-52864-5 

CIRCLE 672 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


seeing lour through the inside of a PC, 
and then gives a few chapters of off-the- 
cuff repair and maintenance tips. Were it 
only more in-depth, more accurate, and 
better proofread. I would certainly rec- 
ommend this book as required reading to 
anyone owning a PC or PCjr. 



The Plain English 


MAINTENANCE 


&REPAIR GUIDE 

fin: IBM Personal 


Comnuters 


HEMO'EHEECHHU) 




Too bad no one at Simon & Schuster 
seems to have bothered to read or proof- 
read the galleys before sending it to 
press. How else can one interpret this 
kind of glitch: Despite the book’s orderly 
progression of page numbers, the con- 
tents of pages 66 and 67 are switched 
with those of pages 68 and 69. All of a 
sudden, midway and midword into a dis- 
cussion of diodes, the text takes a com- 


pletely nonsensical leap that will totally 
confuse you until you sort it out. 

Similarly, part numbers mysteriously 
change in mid-paragraph. For instance, 
an integrated circuit that is first labeled 
LM358 subtly metamorphosizes into the 
correct number, LM386, with no expla- 
nation at all. Illustrations, which attempt 
to fit the light tone of the book, often mis- 
inform and occasionally fail to corre- 
spond with the adjacent text. 

Unfortunately, the typesetting and 
production problems are echoed at the 
deeper level of editorial content. Some of 
the recommendations the book makes are 
doubtful, such as its advice to lubricate 
disk drives — particularly in the case 
of the head guide rods. Further, the au- 
thor does not appear fully knowledgeable 
about some of IBM’s engineering 
idiosyncracies. The guidance given for 
installing a second disk drive is particu- 
larly flawed. Not only is a vital illustra- 
tion absent (showing the location of the 
drive-select jumpers), but the text inac- 
curately states that you must set these 
jumpers differently for each of the two 
drives in your PC. Actually, both PC 
floppy disk drives are set as drive 1 , and 
IBM’s wonderful twisted cable sorts out 
everything for you. The book does cor- 
rectly state that the A: drive receives the 
terminator chip. 

The repair advice for fixing a broken 
trace on a printed circuit board is correct, 
but it doesn’t tell you that the IBM PC 
motherboard is a multilayer printed cir- 
cuit board (there are circuit traces hidden 
below the board surface that might also 
fail when the upper traces crack) or that 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE M. 1985 


351 



BOOK REVIEW 


you might damage lower levels when 
you try to repair the visible traces. 

At times, the text works up a good 
head of steam for a practical project, then 
bails out before spilling the details. A 


prime example is its advice on how to 
build a voltage gooser (a device that may 
void your computer's warranty if you ac- 
tually put use it). The instructions read 
something akin to "just take a power 


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transformer, a metal utility cabinet, a 
switch, and an ammeter. ” 

Despite the smattering of inaccura- 
cies, the overwhelming majority of the 
introductory material is good, clearly 
written, and easy to follow. But it re- 
quires a good knowledge of electronics 
and computers to separate the wheat 
from the chaff — and if you know enough 
to identify the misleading information, 
you probably don’t need this book. It’s a 
shame that technical faux pas mar this 
otherwise delightful volume. 

Though stylistically more austere, the 
technical accuracy of Gene B. Wil- 
liams’s Repair and Maintenance of Your 
IBM PC is generally beyond reproach. If 
it sins at all, it’s only on the side of super- 
ficiality. 

From a humble beginning, which 
warns that electricity can be dangerous, 
it dives into the nitty-gritty of testing ev- 
erything on your computer that you can 
easily test. 

Unlike Beechhold’s book, this volume 
does not start off with the assumption 
that you are a dummy. Rather, it presup- 
poses that you have enough knowledge 
to operate a multimeter. 'The author does 
not give step-by-step instructions for 
making a solder joint, wisely noting that 
soldering is an art best learned by experi- 
ence somewhere other than inside a 
$3,000 computer system. 

Before getting you tangled in micro- 
circuits and short circuits, Williams 
gives practical hints about checking for 
software problems and floppy disk prob- 
lems, including outlining a procedure for 
saving damaged disks. 

After the thorough disk drive test pro- 
cedure, the text then runs through dis- 



Repair and Maintenance of 
Your IBM PC 
Gene B. Williams 
Chilton Book Co. 

Chilton Way 

Radnor, PA 19089 

(215)964-4000 

Copyright: 1984 

Cover Price: $12.95 

ISBN: 0-8019-7537-9 

CIRCLE 671 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


352 


PC MAGAZINE* JUNE 11, 1985 



BOOK REVIEW 


covery and correction of simple circuit 
board problems. If you follow the book’s 
instructions, you’ll end up giving your 
multimeter a good workout and identify- 
ing any defective subassemblies, but the 
manual falls short of actually telling you 
how to fix anything — or even how to get 
parts. 

And parts can be a problem. While 
Williams outlines procedures such as re- 
placing the disk drive door, he leaves out 
one important facet of the repair 
process — where to get the replacement 
drive door. Just try calling Tandon 
sometime — ^the company doesn’t deign 
to talk to mere human beings, let alone 
condescend to mail out a 50-cent part. 

Although the book generally delves no 
deeper than zeroing in on a bad board, it 
dips down to component level for memo- 
ry problems and includes a chart to help 
And and replace defective RAM chips. 

In fact, the charts scattered throughout 
the book, like the one that helps you find 
bad memory chips, may earn the book its 
price. The charts highlight the meaning 
of the mysterious beep error codes your 
PC squeaks when you turn it on, help de- 
cipher Parity Check error numbers, and 
even point out essential adjustments such 
as disk drive speed. The charts save you 
the expense of buying the overpriced 
IBM Hardware Maintenance and Ser- 
vice Manual and the IBM Technical Ref- 
erence manual. 

Perhaps it’s too much to expect a sin- 
gle book to teach all the details of the 
electrical innards of your computer, let 
alone show you what thingamajig to ad- 
just to make 1-2-3 run again. After all, 
microprocessors have outmoded thing- 
amajigs, and circuit surgery in a personal 
computer has become an elaborate ritual 
requiring an array of test equipment be- 
yond the means of mortals. 

Getting Your Kicks 

Both Williams’s The Plain English 
Maintenance & Repair Guide For IBM 
Personal Computers and Beechhold’s 
Repair and Maintenance of Your IBM 
PC help you find the obvious problems 
with your PC — the switch improperly 
thrown, the failing connection, even the 
bad memory chip. Although the advice 
they give often amounts to telling you to 

PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 1 1 , 1985 


kick a recalcitrant television set, at least 
the books help show you where to kick 
and what to check. While neither book 
can assist you in finding and replacing a 


bad interrupt controller, either one might | for PC Magazine. 


just save you a needless trip to the repair 
shop when nothing is really wrong. ■ 

Winn L. Rosch is a contributing editor 




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Tructor 6100/6300 $I30/$I40 

BROTHER HR-1 5 XL (20 CPS) ^ S99 JMT 

HR-1 5 Tcocloc/Keyhooccl/Sheel Edc $1 1 0/$ 1 60/SI 90 
HR-25 (23 CPS) $559 HR-35 (36 CPS) . . $769 
Troctor/Sheet Feeder foe HR.25/3S $120/5200 

TWINRITER5 CALI 

20241 LQ/Grophics . 24 pin, I60/B0 cps $999 

20241 Cotsheet Feedecs . Nnctow $220 Wide $290 

C. ITOH8S10-BPI $299 8S10-SEP $369 
SSIO-SaP $429 1550-EP $419 

1550-P $429 1550-SEP $509 

YI0-20-P $409 A10-30-P $459 

E-I0-40-P $849 E-I0-55-P $999 

QUME LEHERPRO 20P - 20 cps $399 

20P Tcocloc/Sheet Feeder $ 1 40/5380 

SI>RINT1140+ $1299 SPRINT 1155+ $1419 

INTERFACE MODULE IBM Pornllel $80 

SPRINT Troctor/Sheet Feeder $2l0/$690 

PANASONICKX-P31S1 10 22 cps $479 

RX-PI 090/91/92/93 $ 1 99/$269/$399/$589 

STAR MKRONICS NEW 10 " L 1 5" MODELS 

SG-IO/I5I20CPS $229/5379 

SD-10/15I60CPS $339/5449 

SR-10/15 200CPS $489/S599 

NEC P-2 $499 P-3 $699 

NEWELF360(I9CPS| $449 

2050 $649 3550 $999 8050 $1399 

SpInwrHar Troctor/Sheet Feeder $190/$790 

DIABLO630ECVIBM $1699 630 API $1529 
Advuntoge D-2S $549 Series36 $1199 

DATA PRODUCTS Moken of IBM color printer 

SP6 80S1 (Some os IBM Color Printer) $1349 

SPG 8071 (Some (K 6051 at twke the speed) $1699 

DISPLAY CARDS 

EVEREX Graphics Edge Best Price Ever . 

AST Monograph Plus w/dock. Por & Ser Ports $399 - 

PERSYST BoB Board C Ai-L .6^ 

Short-Port Color $159 MinMHono CALI - 

Color Combo: Multifunction & Color Adopter from $349 - 

Mono Combo: Multifunction & Mono Adopter . . from $349 

MYLEX Chairman $429 . 

PARADISEModulorBtd $259 Modules CALI 

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TECMAR Graphics IMasterw/PCPoHitbrush. $449 

HERCULES MonoGtaphks $289 Cakv $149 

GENOA Spectrum MuMDisplaYCmd CAU 

IBMColorCntd . ..$229 Genutk $129 

QUADRAMQuodColorlarll $199 loHi $390 


EXCLUSIVELY FOR IBM PC 



CALL FOR LATIST SYSTEM PRICES 


FLOPPY/HARD DISKS 


MONITORS 


PGSMAJI-I2E $169 HX-12 $429 

SII-I2 $599 SconDbli CALL 


TEAC NoK Ht FD $51 - DSDD 

(Worronteed for IBM PC only) 10 + L -$9»- 


TANDON 1 00-2 Full Ht - D$DD 


IBM Full Ht- DSDD 




sm- 


TAXAN COMPOSIT IIS Gr«n/1 16 Amber . . $129 
MONO 121 GrMn/122 Xmlwr( 1 000x360) $139 
COIORAII (SI 0x260) . $349 425(640x262) $449 


$129 


HARD DISKS/BACKUP lor IBM PC 

lOMBHDInIwfConIroller C $46 

20MBHDIntw/Conlroller 
Call for larger size Harrf Dtsk/Bockup 


TALL GRASS NEW PC/T FORMAT DRIVES/BACKUP 
25 MB w/60 MB $2699 35 Ml w/4S MB $3499 

50 MB w/60 MB $4399 10 MB w/60 MB $5599 

Controller $140 Cartrjtfge(60 MB) $35 


QtlBBE 10/20 MB Internol or External CALL 

All Qubie Hard Drives include I Dir software 


MMAYNARD 10MB/WS-1 $799 10MB/WS-2 $B99 

20MB/W$-1 $1099 20MI/W5-2 $1199 

30MB/WS-1 $1699 30MB/WS-2 $1779 

GemlnlWS-l $1019 GeminiW$-2 $1129 

fhe "Gemini" includes lOMB Hord Disk & Half Ht. floppy 
MoynStreom System 20 $999 Doto Cassette 20 $30 
MovnStreom System 60 . $1 299 Cartridge 600 . $50 


EVEREXIOMBInt $599 20M8lnt $799 
EXCEL 4S00-K Internal 4SMB Tope Bockup $949 

EXCEL 4500 Exietnol 45MB Tope Bockup $999 


IRWIN MAGNETICS 

10 MB Internal Tope Bockup $569 

10 MB External Tope Bockup CALL 


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YOU TO ittES snau pmce 


SAKATA SG 1 000 Green Composit $119 

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COLOR 600 (640x2401 . . $429 71 0 (720x4801 . $539 

QUAORAM AMBERCHROME (720x350) ... CALL 
QUADCHROME II (640x240) Color Gmphics t Text $429 

TECMAR Color Monitor $529 

ROLAND MB-142 14" MunoB/W CALI 

MULTI FUNCTION CARDS 

ASTSaPAKw/64k . . . $239 Explo384k . . . .$329 

QUADBOARDO-k $209 Exp to 304k $313 

ORCHID Hossom 0-k $175 Exp to 3B4k $279 

BT6PUfiw/64k $199 Expto384k $289 

IDSB-5120-k $199 Eipto5l2k $339 

P/S/G/ Ports, Oock/Cal, disk emulation & Sockets for 517k 

PARADISE S-FnekO-k $149 Expto384k $253 

TECMAR CoptoinO-li $169 Exp to 384k $273 

PERSYST Displov L MuMIutKtkin Brds . . hum $349 

MISC. ADD DNS 


64KRAMSet $14 10+ Sets $13 50+ $12 


8087-3/8087-A 


.$l25/$95 


JUKI 6100/6300 $369/$679 


OKIDATA92P/93P/84P 


. $329/$535/$635 


BROTHER HR-15/25/35 $329/$539/$749 

P<3SMAX-I2E $159 HX-12 $399 


HAYESI200Bw/sH $335 1200Exl 


$365 


PROMETHEUS 12000/1200 Ext $249/$279 


TECMAR Graphics Master w/PC Pointbrush ... $429 


ASTSIXPAK364k $309 OUADBOARD 3B4k $293 


ORCHID Hossom 3B4K $259 IT 6 Plus 3B4k $269 


PAEAPISBS-PkWIC $233 TECMAR Cnentin 38«li .S2S3 


COMTANT POUCTs Uo mW StOO. Pin I neMv iXpt R 

change We ihp UPS only Shfpngihondbig dage ny. (U i«|uiK cn ' 
check Al menhoncfee tou it new and el ides at ml. Pnducts shim in kx 
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ORCHID Klarl»w/l2Bk $699 640k 

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OUADRAMOLMDsprint 

$499 

CABUPoraUtl,6ft . , . $20 PonilM,8fl. . . 
Keyboord Extension, 6 ft. . . .$10 Sorid, 6ft. .. 

$25 

$25 

MAXEUMD-ISSDDBux. $20 10+ Boxes 
(10 per box) ME1-2 DSDD Box $2$ 10+ Boxes 

$17 

$22 

IBM Floppy Controller $115 Generk . . 

$25 

PC Mouse E Mkro Systems Mouse 

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QUBIEKeyboord51S8 $119 5151 

$149 

KEYTRONIC Deluxe Keyboord KB 5151 

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POWaDIREaORP22(4| ....$75 P12{6I 

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KENSINGTON Moster P1e« (5 Outlers) 

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PC Keyboard Staroqe Drawer 

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STANDBY PWR SUPPLY w/surge protection 
200 Watts $2/9 300 Worn $379 800 Watts 

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KOALA Touch Tablet w/softwore 

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WHEN ORDERING PLEASE REFER TO AD #M799 | 











TELECOMMUNICATIONS • M. DAVID STONE 


Picking the 
Proper Protocol 

Xmodem has been the de facto standard in error-checking protocols. 
However, Xmodem CRC, Kermit, and Microcom Networking Protocol 
(MNP) all have something to offer. 


T he point of computer communi- 
cations is, quite simply, to send 
information from one computer 
to another with as few errors as 
possible — preferably none. Most users 
who have spent any time on-line, howev- 
er, have learned to accept limitations to 
accuracy. Phone lines are noisy, and 
noise translates to garbage on the screen 
and in disk flies. 

Under most conditions, this garbage 
isn’t a serious problem. If all you’re do- 
ing is typing at the keyboard or receiving 
ASCII text flies, it’s simple to spot and 
correct errors as you read through the 
text. 

The situation changes, however, when 
dealing with binary flies, which include 
program flies, that is, .EXE and .COM 
files. As the old joke goes, you have two 
chances of spotting an error in these 
nontext flies: slim and none. Yet a single 
error in a program file can be enough to 
render that program useless. 

The bottom line is that error-free com- 
munications is sometimes essential, and 
the only way to guarantee it is through 
the use of an error-correcting protocol. 
There are at least four protocols that are 
of general interest: Xmodem, Xmodem 
CRC, Kermit, and Microcom Network- 
ing Protocol (MNP). 

The Standard 

Xmodem is a de facto standard in the 
microcomputer world. Virtually all bul- 
letin boards use it for file transfer, and 
most popular communications programs 
include it either as an option or as the 
only choice for error-free communica- 

PC MAGAZINE • JUNE 11, 1985 






tions (you can’t just buy this protocol 
separately). For example, you will find 
Xmodem on CROSSTALK XV/, Smart- 
corn //, ASCOM, Relay, Omniterm 2, 
imi PC -Talk III. 

Since Xmodem is such a widespread 
standard, you might reasonably wonder 
why you should bother with any other 
protocol. There are two reasons for in- 
vestigating other options. 

First, Xmodem has some limitations. 
Second, and perhaps more importantly, 
some protocols allow file transfer with 
programs or computer systems that don’t 
know about Xmodem or can’t use it. Ob- 
viously, the more protocols you have at 
your disposal, the better. 

Sounds Like . . . 

Xmodem CRC is sometimes confused 
with Xmodem. As with Xmodem, 





Xmodem CRC is in the public domain. 
Also, Xmodem CRC divides a file into 
blocks, sends the file one block at a time, 
and keeps you posted on its progress, just 
as Xm^em does. Beyond that, these 
two protocols have little in common oth- 
er than their names. They won’t talk to 
each other, and you can’t transfer files 
between them. 

The important difference between 
Xmodem and Xmodem CRC is how they 
double-check information. Xmodem 
uses what is known as the checksum 
method; Xmodem CRC uses a technique 
that is called the cyclic redundancy check 
(CRC). 

You shouldn’t worry about the techni- 
cal details of either method. What mat- 
ters is that the CRC approach will catch 
errors that will get by the checksum ap- 
proach. Xmodem is designed to be 99.6 


c 





Index To Advertisers 

us # Ad^Hliw. Page RS # Ad>rr1K«rs Page kS # AdmiKm Pagr RS # Advertbrn Page 

201 Alloy Con^terPrcxlucts. 131 EHgilal Research 241-243 13S Marwigemem Informaiioo 188 ProgramsPtus 87 

Inc 179 128 Digital Research 19 Source. Inc 296 366 Progressive Micro 

106 Alphacotn 95 170 Disc Instruments 198 378 Mansfield Software Group 290 Distribuiots 357-359 

119 Amber Systems. Inc 31 117 Discount Computer Centers 260 155 Marc Software lnt*l 270-271 166 Prometheus Products. Inc 96 

102 American Business Lists 291 • DiskTcch 323 2.30 Maxell Corporation of America .... 1 537 QIC Research. Inc 262-263 

129 Applied Computer Products 244 DISK WORLD!. IfK 330 159 Mavnard Electronics 39 487 Quadram 258 

Inc 40-11 232 DISK WORLD!. Inc 293 168 MCBS 244 • Quakl Software Limited 261 

210 Ashton-Tatc 186-187 289 Dysan Corporation 14 290 MC-P Applications 36 354 Qubi£ 140-141 

101 AST Research. Inc 82-83 236 SOO-SOFTWARE 61 525 MDBS 12 247 0ubi6 252 

“ AT&T Information Systems 167 235 Eastern Enterprises 303 160 Media Cybernetics 256 167 Racoit --246 

108 Audt>Pilot 323 217 Elek-Tek 302 164 MEF Environment 327 169 RcalWorld Corporation 5 

107 Bay Express 287 Ml Emerald Systems Corp 301 311 Micrografx 50 154 Satellite Software 

112 BelleM>ft 279 512 Emulex-Pmyst 190 478 Micro Mart 66-67 International 32 

149 Brwland International 267 134 Encrtronics Research 212-213 338 Microshop 312 470 SBTCorp 16 

150 Borland International 268-269 163 Everex Systems 9 • Microsoft 247 I92 Server Technology 288 

147 Borland International 265 239 First Oass Peripherals 71 • Microsoft 249 219 Sigma Designs. ItK 47 

186 BPISystems 206 242 47stCompulcr 88-89 • Microsoft 100-101 • SoftlineCotp 79 

115 Brighibill-RobertsattdCo 219 246 Fbx&Geller 254 212 Microstuf. Inc 257 195 SoftLogk Solutions 78 

* Business Computers 283 250 FTG Data Systems 69 326 Mkrostuf. Inc 18 172 Software Bottling Con^jany 298 

237 CanonUSA.Inc 46 252 Garden of E^ Computers 352 214 Microstuf. Inc 261 191 Software Group 306-307 

152 Central Point Software. Inc 276 255 Gem Electronics 282 213 Microstuf. Inc 259 393 Software Link. Inc 85 

184 Chonis Data Systems 201 136 General Parametrks 63 194 Microsystems Intcmaiional 245 193 Software Solutions. Inc 277 

113 Citizen Amcrka Coq) 147 110 Genest Technologies. Inc 238 171 Micro-Systems Software 148 173 SorcinVlUS 223 

182 Command Technology 238 Genoa Systems Corp 168 331 Microway 68 196 Starbridge Technologies 248 

Corp 282 140 Graphk Communications. 176 Mkrouay 94 197 STB Systems. Inc C-3 

228 CompuAdd 216-217 Inc 48-49 340 MU Microsystems 323 • Systems Management 

205 CompucU.ssics 344 260 H&E Computronks. Inc 364 105 NBS, Inc 325 Assoc 70 

* COMPUMAIL 354 142 Hammer Computer 126 Noclhcaslcm Software 220 198 Tallgrass Technologies 20-21 

226 CompuServe Information Systems 144-145 346 Norton Utilities 292 181 Tatung Company of 

Services 42 229 Hayes Microcomputer 268 Nostradamus. Inc 97 America. Inc 240 

120 Computer Accesjiories. Inc 13 Products 56-57 177 Orchid Technology 205 501 Tecmarinc C-2 

114 CompulerHui 92 145 Hercules Computer 351 Oryx Systems. Inc 90-91 502 Tecmarinc C-4 

185 Computer Mail Order 76-77 Technology 172 363 Oryx Systems. Inc 90-91 206 Telasofi 300 

183 ComputerMart 314 146 Hercules Computer • Paradise Systems. Inc 55 231 TelcVidco Systems 17 

135 Computer Warehouse 245 Technology 180 141 PCBrand 26-27 103 TbcsysMcmory 

175 Connecticut Software 84 143 Hewlea-Packard 197 339 PCConnection 154-157 ProductsCoq) 22 

125 Conroy-LaPoinie. Inc 52-53 161 Hooleon Company 327 539 PC Horizoits. Inc 245 505 3M Data Recording 

121 CoTMempiMary Computer- 388 Hoasioit Instnlments 184 535 PCNetwork 174-177 Products 274-275 

Wear 325 162 IBM-ISG Division 194 533 PC Prochias. Inc 236 178 325 Inc 216 

225 Core International 164 270 IBMPCSoftware 28-29 144 PC St^ftware Interest Group 272 199 Third Floor Systems 106 

124 Corvus Systems 163 109 IDSystemsCorp 69 364 PC'sLimited 320-321 200 Third Floor Systems 107 

218 Cosmos 102 151 IMSI 202 527 Personal Computer 353 Topaz 255 

118 C-Thnj Products 257 • Indian Ridge Enterprisc-s 11 Products 308 203 Toshiba Amerka, Inc 250-251 

* CuitisManufacturingCo..Inc.... 30 321 Industries Best Mkros. Inc 310 179 Photon Software 272 506 Touchstone Technology. Inc 86 

148 Dac Software, Inc 171 245 In-House Software 253 180 Polaroid 150-151 204 Tripplite 308 

324 Data Business Vision 80 272 Innovative Software 104-105 * Potomac Pacific Engineering 4 540 Tseng Laboratories. Inc 224 

325 DatacopyCorp 313 153 Interface Technology Corp 294 • Potomac Pacific Engineering .... 361 139 Verbatim 304 

243 DataSources 278 202 lOMEGACcwp 23 123 Precision Data Products 323 207 Vertex Systems. Inc 290 

241 DaU-south Computer Corp 8 132 Irwin Magnetics 99 187 Primavera Systems 309 208 Vertex Systems. Inc 276 

122 DCA 24-25 133 JDR Microdcvices 286 224 Princeton Graphic Systems 235 209 Vertex Systems. Inc 259 

158 Decision Resources 108 • Kammerman Labs 10 220 Princeton Graphic Systems 227 215 Votrax 238 

157 Decision Resourees 109 303 LeBaugh Software Corp 353 221 Princeton Graphk Systems 229 * Warehouse Data Products 98 

116 Diamond Software 65 385 Lifetree Software Iik 297 222 Princeton Graphic Systems 231 216 Writing Consultants 238 

127 DICOMED 189 282 Logksoft 72-75 223 Princeton Graphic Systems 233 474 Xanaro Technologies, Inc 2-3 

227 Digigraphic Systems Corp 183 165 Main Street Computer Corp 363 219 Princeton Graphics Systems 47 509 XyQuest.lnc 280 



PC MAGAZINE ADVERTISING SALES STAFF 



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Ellen Atkinson • District Manager 

CA (San Francisco & North), OR. WA 

Page Goodrich - District Manager 

I Park Avenue 

1 Park Avenue 

Dave Ricgicr • District Manager 

3460Wilshire Blvd. 

New York. NY 10U16 

New York. NY 10016 

1 1 Davis Drive 

Us Angeles. CA 90010 

(212)503-.5280 

(212)503-5307 

Belmont. CA 94002 

(213)387-2100 

John Bucknavuge • Account 

Steve Lincoln - Account Representative 

(415)598-2.141 

Stan Johonson - Account Representative 

Representative 

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(212)503-5100 

(212)503-5100 

OK. NE, Wl, IL, IN. MN. KS, MO, 

(212)503-5100 

CA (Los Angeles & San Diego), HI 

So. NJ, DE, MD. DC, VA, W V. NC. 

OH, MI, lA. ND. SD. Canada 

CA (Santa Barbara to So. San 

Barbara Farkas - District Manager 

SC, AL, MS, LA. TN. AR. KY, PA. G A 

John Hemsath - District Manager 

Francisco), CO, ID. MT. UT. AK. NV 

3460Wilshire Blvd. 

BiibOstrow - District Manager 

ISON. Michigan Avenue Suite 1400 

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Us Angeles. CA 90010 

1 Park Avenue 

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) 1 Davis Dnve 

(213)387-2100 

New Ytwk. NY 10016 

(312)346-2600 

Belmont. CA 94002 

Joanna Broome - Account 

(212)503-5.^08 

Michael Tupanjanin • 

(415)598-2341 

Representative 

Lauren Morse - Acci>unl Representative 

Account Representative 

Jane Anderson - Account Representative 

(212)503-5100 

<212)503-5100 

(212)503-5100 

(212)503-5100 



356 


PC MAGAZINE •JUNE II. 1985 









»". c. 





EniRVAUIES 


PROTOCOL CONVERSION__ 

AST RESEARCH 

PCOX.5251,3780. BSC. SNA * 

DCA 

Irma (3278 Terminal Emulalion) $895 

Irmaline. Irmalette. Irmaphnt, Irmacom ♦ 

TECHLAND 

Blue Lynx 5251 model 12 & 3276 ♦ 

Cali our experts tor all your Micro-to-Mainframe rteeds! 

NETWORKING. 


We carry all the best names including AST RESEARCH and ORCHID 
TECHNOLOGIES. Call our Networiung Applications experts to design a cost- 
effective device-snaring networked layout tor your office! 

~MONITORS 


AMDEK 

300G & 300A (Green or Amber, composite video monitors) $129/139 

310A (Amber TTL input, non-glare tube) $119 

COLOR 600 (13 " 6^ X 240 RGB w/text button, audio) $425 

COLOR 700 13" 720 X 480 RGB w/.31mm dot) $475 

COLOR 710 (13" 720 X 480 RGB. non-glare, non-flicker) $575 

QUADRAM 

Amberchrome (Amber TTL input, non-glare tube) * 

Quadchrome HX-12 (690 X 4M RGB w/.31mm dot) ♦ 

PRINCETON GRAPHICS 

PGS MAX-12 (Amber TTL input, non-glare tube) $119 

PGS HX-12 (6W X 480 RGB w/.31mm dot) $449 

PGS SR-12 (690 X 480 non-interlaced RGB w/ 31mm dot) * 

TAXAN 

RGBvision 420 4 440 * 

Ask us to find the nght monitor/graphics card combo tor your application! 


.MODEMS. 


HAYES 

Hayes Smarlmodem 300 (external 300 baud, auto answer/dial) $199 

Hayes Smarlmodem 1200 (external 300/1200, auto answer/dial) $419 

Hayes Smarlmodem 1200B (internal 300/1200, w/Smaricom II) $379 

Hayes Smarlmodem 2400 (external 2400 baud) * 

ANCHOR AUTOMATION 

Signalman Mark XII (300/1200 baud at 300 baud price) $259 

AST 

Reach (Short-slot 300/1200 baud w/CROSSTALK. self-test) * 

BIZCOMP 

Intellimodem ST (Fully Hayes compatible internal 300/1200) $349 

Intellimodem XL (internal 300/1200, simultaneous voice/data) $399 

RIXON 

300/1200, 2400. and 4800 baud modems * 

Imiscellaneous hardware! 

POLAROID Palette (Makes color slides from your PC^ screen) $13M 

ORCHID PC Turbo (adds 8MHz processor, multitasking to K) $^ 

KEYTRONIC KB $151 keyboard w/separate cursor k^) $195 

TOUCHSTONE TECHNOLOGY (Touchstone 1 (num/cursor key pad) * 

MOUSE SYSTEMS Optical PC MOUSE (w/PAINT Pop-Up Menus) $155 

MICROSOFT Serial or Bus mechanical mouse (w/Mouse Menu) $155 

SAFT Power Back-ups (200 and 400 watts) * 

QUADRAM Microfazer Winter Buffer (P/P.P/S.S/P.S/S. 8K 4 up) . froM $135 

CURTIS System accessories ♦ 

KENSINGTON Masterpiece System Console 129 

DISKETTES 


VERBATIM 

Sirmle sided/Single density: 18/$24 190/$199 

Double Sided/Double density: 16/^ 100/$249 

DYSAN 

Double sided/double density: 18/129 108/$249 

High-density AT diskettes 1B/$69 

MAXELL 

HIgh-density AT diskettes 19/559 


SOFTWARE 

INTEGRATED AND RELATED PACKAGES 

ENA6LE(Fteviewed as "the Package Symphony should have been") * 

ASHTON-TATE Framework $345 

LOTUS Symphony ♦ 

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING Pfs Write. File, Graph, Report fitM 579 

WORD PROCESSING 

SAMNAPLUS ♦ 

MULTIMATE comes w/spelling checker and tutorial $259 

MICROPRO WordStar 2000 4 2000 plus $245/295 

MICROSOnWtort with/without Mouse ♦ 

LIFETREE VOIkswriter Deluxe w/lextmerge $119 

SSI WordPerfect * 

SORCIM/IUS EasyWriter II System * 

LEADING EDGE Word Processor $55 

SPREADSHEETS 

LOTUS 1-2-3 * 

SORCIM/IUS Supercalc 3 $195 

MICROSOFT Multiplan w/templates $139 

DATABASE MANAGERS 

ASHTON-TATE dBase II 4 III $295/375 

MICRORIM 4000 4 6000. w/Report Writer 4 Clout * 

GMS SYSTEMS Power-base $251 

DAYFIO (Free-torm database with opt Reportflo) * 

CIP Concentric Information Processor * 

MICROSTUFInfoscope * 

WARNER SOFTWARE The desk organizer ♦ 

LEADING EDGE Nutshell $15 

COMMUNICATIONS PACKAGES 

MICROSTUF Crosstalk XVI $99 

PERSOFT SmarTerm 100. 125. 400 * 

HAYES SmartCom II $95 

SOURCE The Source ♦ 

MENLO In Search * 

WESTERN UNION EASYUNK Mail Manager « 

DOW JONES All products ♦ 

ACCOUNTING PACKAGES 

SORCIM/IUS Complete accounting modules IrM $299 

6PI ACCOUNTING Complete accounting modules • 

REAL WORLD Accounting • 

OPEN SYSTEMS Accounfing ♦ 

SYSTEMS PLUS Books! accounting system * 

MONOGRAM Dollars and Sense w^recasting $139 

GRAPHICS AND CAD PACKAGES 

DECISION RESOURCES Signmaster/Chartmaster $179/249 

BPS Business Graphics $259 

MICROPRO ChartStar » 

AUTODESK AutoCAD with or without extensions * 

IMSI PC Paint Brush $95 

PLANNING PACKAGES 

MECA/TDBIAS Managing Your Money $129 

ALPHA Electric Desk ♦ 

HARVARD Harvard Project Manager * 

MICROSOFT Project 

LANGUAGES A COMPILERS 

BORUWD Turbo Pascal 4 Toolbox ta $39 

MICROSOFT AH products * 

DIGITAL RESEARCH All products * 

WORDTECH dBASE COMPILER * 

LIFEBOAT Lattice C compiler and C-food Smorgasborg $291/* 

UnUTY PROGRAMS 

BORLAND Sidekick $39 

WRLAND Supertiw « 

FUNK SOFTWARE Sideways Inverts pnntout $45 

SOFTSTYLE Set FX printer utilities $35 

NORTON Utilities (by FWer Norton) $59 

QUAID Copywrite. I)isk Eimlorer 4 Zero Disk * 

CENTRAL F^INT Copy II F% copies protected software $35 

ATI Training (for ma^ popular packages) 


CIRCLE 306 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


FOR ORDERS ONLY 

* 1 - 800 - 446-7995 

_FOR FURTHER INFORMATION _ 

* 1 - 404 - 446-7995 

HRS: SAM • 9PM EST, SAT & SUM 12M • SPM EST. 

IBM IS a registered trademark of International Business MacTunes 


PROGRESSIVE 

MICRO 

OISTRIBUTORS 

7000 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard 
Norcross, Georgia 30071 






PC SYSTEMS 

IBM PC 

W/256K. two 360K drives, controller. keyt>oard. mor)ochrome/printer 


adapter, monochrome monitor I219S 

IBM PC 

W/2S6K. two 360K drives, corttroller. keyboard, color/graphics 

adapter, hi res color monitor S2495 

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IBM PC AT Many configurations 

ATAT 6300 & 7300 Many configurations * 


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EPSON 

FX-60 (160 as narrow carnage dot matrix) 

FX-100+ HbO cps wide carriage dot matrix) 

RX-80 (tOo cps narrow carriage dot matnx) 

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1. WE ACCEPT VISA, MC, AMEX; No surcharge lor 
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3. Allow 1 week for personal and company checks to 
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4. Wiring information available upon request. 

5. Corporate, Government and Institutional volume 
purchase agreements available. 


6. Call for exact shipping charges; air shipments take 
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9. All products fully warranleed; Some up to 5 years. 

10. All items subject to availability; Prices subject to 

change without notice. 

'Call lor current pnee 



TELECOMMUNICATIONS 


percent accurate; Xmodem CRC is accu- 
rate by a few more tenths of a point. 

Given a choice between the two, 
Xmodem CRC is the preferred protocol, 
but it is simply not used as widely as 
Xmodem is. As a result, most programs 
that have Xmodem CRC also include 
Xmodem to fall back on. Within any giv- 
en program, the two protocols are usual- 
ly set up to act the same way from your 
viewpoint; the differences only show up 
behind the scenes. 

One way in which the two Xmodems 
are alike is that you must set them for 8 
data bits, which has certain advantages. 
As you probably know, ASCII uses only 
7 bits per character, but many programs, 
such as WordStar, use the eighth bit for 
their own purposes. The Xmodem set- 
ting of 8 data bits lets you transfer 
WordStar files and the like complete 
with the eighth bit. Unfortunately, using 
the eighth bit also creates a problem, 
since many minicomputers and main- 
frames can only deal with 7 data bits. 

Here’s Kermit 

Enter Kermit, a public-domain proto- 
col that was originally designed by Bill 
Catchings, Frank da Cruz, and Vace 
Kundakci at Columbia University. From 
your point of view, Kermit is similar to 
Xmodem in most ways. As with 
Xmodem and Xmodem CRC, Kermit di- 
vides a file into blocks, sends the file one 
block at a time, and lets you know how 
the process is going. As with the original 
Xmodem, Kermit uses the checksum ap- 
proach to error checking. Unlike either 
of the Xmodems, however, Kermit uses 
7 data bits instead of 8, and that means 
you can use Kermit on virtually any 
computer — micro, mini, or mainframe. 

Not incidentally, Kermit’s use of 7 
data bits does not rule out transfer of 8-bit 
files. When Kermit comes across a non- 
ASCII pattern in a file, it sends the first 7 
bits in one chunk and the eighth bit by it- 
self. The receiving Kermit puts the full 8 
bits back together, when it is appropriate 
to do so. 

Kermit also has another important ad- 
vantage over Xmodem. With either of 
the Xmodem protocols, you can only 
send files one at a time. This limitation 
can be annoying if you are transferring 


several files, since you have to hang 
around in order to send each file sepa- 
rately. 

Kermit allows wild-card transfers, us- 
ing asterisks in the same way that DOS 
uses them in a DIR command. These 
transfers let you give several files a simi- 
lar name and then send them all with a 
single command. Kermit sends the full 
filenames along with each file. The 
Kermit on the receiving end uses the very 
same names when it is saving the files to 
disk. 

Kermit has not yet been incorporated 


Considering the momentum 
behind MNP, it just might 
become the protocol of 
choice before too long. 

into any well-known communications 
program, but several software houses are 
looking into the possibility. For those 
who are interested, the PC version of 
Kermit is available on several bulletin 
boards, including The Invention Factory 
at (212) 431-1194 and Larry Jordan's 
TCOMM at (301) 428-7931. You can 
download it using Xmodem. 

The Interesting One 
The last protocol on my list is 
Microcom’s MNP, the Microcom Net- 
working Protocol. This one is probably 
the most interesting of the bunch. 

Microcom is a relatively small manu- 
facturer of modems and communications 
software. The company is trying hard to 
become an industry leader, and it is 
building its reputation with MNP. 

MNP originated in 1982 as a propri- 
etary protocol found only on Microcom 
products. It is somewhat easier to use 
than Xmodem or Kermit but not easier 
than some other proprietary protocols 
you may have heard of. The important 
thing is what Microcom has done with 
MNP. From the beginning, Microcom 
has pushed MNP as the new de facto 
standard , As part of its strategy , the com- 
pany did something that no one else had 
tried: it encouraged others to license 
MNP and incorporate the new protocol in 
competing products. 


Gaining Acceptance 

This strategy has paid off. MNP has 
garnered support from such companies 
as Apple, Tandy, Novation, and IBM 
(Microcom wrote IBM’s Personal Com- 
munications Manager, which includes 
MNP). Uninet is currently in the process 
of implementing MNP on a limited but 
growing basis, and according to 
Microcom, plans are in the works to add 
MNP to Telenet and to MCI Mail. Even 
more intriguing is that sources at 
Microcom say the company plans to put 
MNP in the public domain. 

Microcom may take this last step as 
early as the fall of 1985. A new version 
of the public-domain RBBS bulletin 
board program has just been released. 
The new RBBS offers MNP as a choice 
for downloading programs. Microcom 
was in favor of adding this feature, and I 
suspect that it won't be long before 
someone develops an MNP merge file 
for PC-Talk III. 

Tom Mack, who wrote the new 
RBBS-PC (Version CPC 12-4A) says 
that most RBBS bulletin boards should 
have the new version up and running by 
the beginning of June. One system that 
already uses MNP is Microcom’s own 
BBS at (617) 769-9358. 

MNP is also likely to be included in a 
new public -domain program written by 
Dorn Stickle. Stickle, who is responsible 
for the BBS-TALK upgrade to PC-Talk 
(see “The Urge to Merge,” PC, Volume 
4 Number 5), says his new program, D- 
CUBE, may well be available by early 
June as well. D-CUBE will first show up 
on David Pardue's Bungalow Billboard 
at (615) 385-9919. Stickle also intends to 
include Xmodem, Xmodem CRC, and 
Kermit in D-CUBE. 

Considering the momentum that 
seems to be gathering behind MNP, it 
just might become the protocol of choice 
before too long, it may even succeed in 
becoming the new de facto standard, as 
Microcom has always claimed it would. 
Whatever its final status, however, MNP 
has certainly become important enough 
to be taken seriously. Expect to see more 
of this protocol in the future. ■ 


M. David Stone is a frequent contributor 
to PC Magazine. 


360 


PC MAGAaNE* JUNE It, 1985 






The Independeni Guide to 
IBM Per»o(wl Computefs 


Coming Up 


Enhancing the AT 

IBM’s announcement of the powerful new AT last August was received with much , 
fanfare. As users became more familiar with the machine, however, they discovered ' 
that it was less perfect than was originally thought. Since then, third-party peripheral 
manufacturers have labored night and day to supply options that give you more fea- | 
hires, greater flexibility, and increased speed. ' 

And now, the challenge has finally been answered. The AT add-on market has 
come of age, allowing Michael M. Finefrock to assemble “The Ultimate AT, the 
most souped-up AT imaginable. ’ ’ Along with Dick Aarons and Brian C. Hale, he re- 
views the best of the new products, showing you ways to cure backup woes, solve 
disk drive problems, and generally make IBM's creation do far more than the boys j 
from Boca Raton ever planned. | 

Price Waterhouse Anniversary I 

One year has passed since PC Magazine published the first Price Waterhouse Report. 

In this issue, the top accounting firm sums up major developments in the accounting 
software maricet and offers some clues about what may lie ahead. Included is a sp>ecial 
report on the Price Waterhouse “Hall of Fame” for its favorite features of all the ac- 
counting systems it has reviewed. 

IFPS/Personal 

Execucom's Interactive Financial Planning System is a decision-support workstation 
that has long been available to mainframe users. PC Magazine reviews the new, low- 
price adaptation of this powerful product to the PC environment. It’s a product that 
picks up where spreadsheets leave off. 

Microsoft Word 2.0 

Diane Bums and S. Venit review the latest release of this popular word proces.sor from a ! 
software giant. We’ll repoit on how Word has changed and what has remained the same. 



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MORE FREE SOFTWARE ON PAGE FOUR 


PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II, 1985 


361 



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Oueoboerd (64 K) 

$1229 

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PC MAGAZINE . JUNE 1 1, 1985 









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PC MAGAZINE • JUNE II. 1985 


COMING UP 





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A Member of the Ziff-Davis Family 
of IBM PC Magazines 

Microcomputer COBOL 

PC Tech Journal casts ils practiced eye on 
COBOL paxlucts in the microcomputer 
arena. The first of three articles examines 
RM COBOL from Ryan-McFarland and 
Realia COBOL from Realia. Inc. 

CPU Accelerator Boards 
Users who want to improve the PC's exe- 
cution speed w ill be interested in two ac- 
celerator boards for the PC that actually 
boost the speed of the CPU. PC Tech 
Journal tested two such boards: the 
Kamerman Labs PC-Excelleratorand the 
Orchid Technology PClurbo-186. 

Hard Disk Storage Alternative 
The Bernoulli Box. an external drive sys- 
tem from Iomega has two 8-inch car- 
tridge drives that each store 10 mega- 
bytes of data. PC Tech Journal offers a 
thorough review of this unique product. 

Data Security and the PC 
A close look at seven encryption prod- 
ucts for the PC — how they work and their 
relative cryptographic strengths. 

Turbo Pascal I/O I.ibrary 
The first part of this two-part article ex- 
amines an I/O library that cures two of 
Turbo Pascal's deficiencies: file han- 
dling and screen handling. It explains 
when. why. and how to use the library 
and presents solutions to problems of 
handling path names, tree-structured di- 
rectories, and I/O redirection. It also pro- 
vides the complete source code. 

C Tools 

Our C expert puls seven C library prod- 
ucts to the test. 


f IBM PC SYSTEMS 

1 MAINSTREET ENHANCED PC 

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HONESTY and STABIUTY — Our banker Is 
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To Place an Order, call 1-800-IBM-MAIN 


CIRCLE 165 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


















VERSA 

LEDGER 


Introducing the Most Powerful 
Business Software Ever! 

TRS-80™ (Model 1, II, III, or 16) • APPLE™ • IBM’" • OSBORNE’" • CP/M™ • XEROX™ 


The VersaBusiness' Series 

Each VersaBusiness module can be purchased and used independently, 
or can be linked in any combination to form a complete, coordinated business system. 


VERSARECEIVABLES^ $99.95 

VERSaI^CEIVABLEs’* is a complete menu-driven accounts receivable. tnvoKing, and 
monthly siatement-seneratms system, it keeps track of all information related to who 
owes you or your company money, and can provide automatic billing for past due ac- 
counts. V/ERSA Receivables'* pnnts all necessary statements, invoices, and summary 
reports and can be linked with V^RSaLEDCER and VErsaInventory**. 

VERSAPAYABLES" $99.95 

Versa Payables™ is designed to keep track of current and aged payables, keeping you 
m touch with all information regarding how much money your company owes, and to 
u^om VERSA Payables™ maintains a complete record on each verier, pnnts checks, 
check registers, vouchers, transaction reports, aged payables reports, vendor reports, 
and more. With V^RSaPayaBLES™. you can even let your computer automatically select 
which vouchers are to be paid. 

VERSAPAYROLL™ $99.95 

VersaPayroll™ is a powerful and sophisticated, but easy to use payroll system that 
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VersaLedger ir $149.95 

Versa Ledger IP is a complete accounting system that grows as your business 
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• VersaLedger IP gives you almost unhmited storage capacity 

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• stores all check and general ledger inforrriation forever. 

• prints tractor-feed checks, 

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• prints 17 customized accounting reports including check registers, 
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CIRCLE 260 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


VERSAINVENTORY'" $99.95 

Versa^a/entory™ is a complete inventory control system that gives you instant access 
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Every VERSABUSINESS™ module is guaranteed to ouiprrtorm all other competitive systerm, 
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AI prices and specifications subieci lo change / Dekvery subteci lo availability 


Apple Corp - ‘IBM s a trademark of IBM Carp 'OSBORNE is a trademark of Osborne Corp. 
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Some Companies Think Video Adapters Are 
Like Aluminum Foil On The End Of Rabbit Ears. 



We Don't. 

At STB We Think Solutions Should Work. 


That’s Why We Designed The 
Graphix Plus II. 

Let's face the facts. You need a video 
adapter for your computer. You don't need 
the bothersome problems that most often 
tag along. 

When we built the Graphix Plus II we left 
the problems behind and made solutions 
the standard feature. 

At STB, we think the Graphix Plus 11 is the 
orrly video board you will ever need for 
your IBM PC. IBM PC AT. IBM XT'” 
or compatible. Here's why; 

If you use a monochrome monitor, the 
Graphix Plus II gives you clear, sharp 
monochrome text and graphics. 

If you use a color monitor, the Graphix Plus 
II nnatches IBM's standard resolutions for 
color graphics. But the Graphix Plus tl 
goes beyond the standards. Our video 
board gives you four and sixteen color 
modes as well as full screen monochrome 
graphics with the use of software drivers. 



STB Systems. Inc. 


For your convenience, we include drivers 
for Lotus'- 1-2-3,'- Symphony'- and 
Framework. 

If you use color and monochrome 
monitors, the Graphix Pius II supports 
both, and automatically switches display 
to the appropriate screen 

The solutions go on... 

The Graphix Plus II gives you a parallel 
printer port, a lightpen interlace. 32K of 
display memory, an optional clockcalendar 
and STB's orte year warranty. 

PC Accelerator’- software, for the print 
buffering and high speed disk emulation 
you ne^, is also packaged with our 
Graphix Plus II. 

And of course, when you tune in to 
your favorite program ... 

You won't be bothered with fuzzy fonts, 
flickering displays or flashy scrolling. 

After all, STB creates solutions, not 
more problems. 



When you think of video adapters, think of 
STB s Graphix Plus II and forget the rabbit 
ears. Let's keep life simple. For more 
information about our problem-solving 
products, call or write STB Systems. Inc.. 
601 North Glenville. Suite 125, Richardson. 
Texas 75081. (214) 234-8750. 


Keep 

Life 





IBM IBM IBM PC AT am) IBM XT trailtmarkB o( IflWmabonai Buamsw 
Machmas Corp Lolu*. Lohw t-2-3 tea Symphony badomaik* ot lotus Oevatopmam 
Corp F«B<n«work oadsmark of AsMon Tatt PC AccaMtalot Iradsmafk Of PstCorp 
Grapfu Plus II iradamarA of STB Systama. Inc 


601 North Glenville. Suite 125 
Richardson. Texas 75081 
(214) 234-8750 


CIRCLE 502 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



Introducing MAESTRO A 

The Multifunction Board That Fine Tunes Your IBM P( 


If you own an IBM PC-AT, or if you’re con- 
sidering a purchase, you should know: the most 
cost-effective multifunction board on the market 
is Maestro— offering savings of up to $1500 per 
board. 

Whether you're using Symphony working 
with spreadsheets or dialing into a data network, 
you'll find that Maestro’s functionality and 
simplicity make it the kind of computer tool you 
won’t want to be without. 


Installat ion couldn’t be sim pler. 

Maestro eliminates as many as 14 separate 
switches found on other boards, and offers 
maximum versatility in memory configurations. 

You’ll applaud the versatility. 

Maestro’s parallel port and serial port 
handle all the peripherals you’re likely to need. 
The serial port's built-in connectors eliminate costly 
cable converters for maximum savings. 



Maestro has a prodigious memory. 

Two memory blocks give you a range of 
memory that allows you to upgrade your PC-AT from 
256K or 512K to nearly three megabytes. Then put 
all that memory to work running large business soft- 
ware programs. Supporting multi-user, multi-tasking 
systems like XENIX''” Processing large routine 
programs quickly. Or accommodating RAM disks at 
will. 

The basic design is so sound, you can almost forget 
about maintenance. 

Our innovative one-card design provides full 1” 
spacing for optimum cooling, unlike piggy-backed 
cards. 


Maestro c omes with a valuable accom paniment. 

To increase its value to you even more, every 
Maestro board comes with a complimentary Treasure 
Chest'” of software. The 24 business productivity 
programs include a calculator, a security system, 
memo pad, electronic address book, calendar, and 
hardware diagnostics. 

With Tecmar, you can always expect an encore. 

Tecmar developed the very first peripherals for 
the very first IBM PC. We've been building our 
expertise, our product line and our reputation for 
service ever since. 

If you like the sound of all this, we suggest you 
see your nearest Tecmar dealer for a closer look at the 
Maestro board. To find out who your local dealer is, 
call us at 216/ 349- 1 009 . 


6225 Cochran Road, Solon, Ohio 44139 


Available in 
quantity now! 


Tecmar 

THE POWER BEHIND THE PC 


CIRCLE 502 ON READER SERVICE CARD